Ambassadors to the Furlings
by IcedHeat
Summary: The Asgard want to set up an alliance between the Tau'ri and the Furlings, but have they chosen the best people for the job? post S8, SJ
1. The Sir Thing

Title: Ambassadors to the Furlings

Chapter: 1 of ?

Email: The 'sir' thing just _has_ to stop.

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Rating: Teen

Pairing: S/J

Season: 8/9

Spoilers: Set between Moebius Part II and the season 9 opener, so anything up to that point and season 9 speculation.

Content Warnings:

Archive: My Site: Yes

SamandJack: Yes

Anywhere else: Yes

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's Note:

The Sir Thing 

She had been standing out on the deck for twenty minutes when she heard the door open and then close behind her.

"You okay?" He asked, coming to stand next to her.

She nodded. "Daniel and Teal'c?"

She didn't need to elaborate on her question for him to understand. "They're getting ready to go back to the mountain. We were wondering if you were okay."

"I'm fine. Just needed to be alone for a while."

He nodded. "I can-" He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, towards the house.

"Stay, sir."

He smiled at her, amusement dancing in his eyes. "You don't have to call me sir, you know. No longer your commanding officer, as of…" he checked his watch, "five hours ago."

She smiled back at him. "I remember." Her smile faded. "When do you leave?"

"In a coupla days. Got some stuff to do here first."

"Packing?" She asked.

He nodded. "Gotta give Siler back his wrench."

He smiled at her look of confusion. "I confiscated it when I made General." She shot him a _look_. "He didn't _use _ it for anything!" He defended. "I think Landry should be able to handle it."

The door opened and Daniel's head appeared. "Uh… Jack, Sam? We're gonna head back to the mountain." He paused almost imperceptibly, "You guys okay?"

"Yeah."

"Yes, Daniel."

"See you guys on Monday, then. You are coming to the SGC before you go, aren't you?" He asked Jack.

"Yeah. See you Monday."

Daniel smiled at them both and ducked back inside, closing the door.

After a few minutes silence Sam felt Jack's eyes on her. "What?" She asked.

"Nothin'." He said, looking down at his hands resting on the railing.

"No, you were thinking something. What?" She repeated, firmer this time.

"It's just… are you _sure _you're okay?"

"I'm sure." She told him.

He looked at her for a moment. Then said, "Okay. Good." He regarded her for a moment. "I'm gonna go clean up. You want anything?"

"No, thank you, sir."

He winced. "Carter, you have _gotta _stop doing that."

"You still call me Carter." She pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's different." He told her. "Hundreds of people call me 'sir'," He opened the door, "but I'm the only one who calls you Carter." He went inside, leaving the door open. She could hear him collecting plates and glasses.

She smiled to herself.

He was right.

No one else called her Carter.

Thinking back, she tried to pinpoint when it had become the name that only he called her.

She shook her head, unable to remember.

It was nice to know that only he called her that, and to know that he knew.

But it would be wonderful if he called her Sam. Even Samantha.

It was silly. Something like that had no right to mean so much, to either of them, but it did.

One of them had to make a move to change something.

She sighed as she realised it was going to have to be her.

She walked into his house, finding him in the living room, tidying up.

He looked up as she approached him.

When she was standing less than a foot away from him she said, "I don't want you to go, Jack."

"What happened to 'sir'?" He asked, smiling softly.

"I think I might prefer Jack." She answered.

"Might?" He countered.

She just smiled at him.

"Beer?" He asked, heading up the steps into the kitchen.

"Please." She replied, collapsing onto the sofa, suddenly finding she was exhausted.

The past two months had been a blur for Sam.

Her dad's death.

Her break up with Pete.

Daniel's death and subsequent resurrection.

There had been lighter moments. She'd gone fishing with the guys and somewhere along the line a ZPM had turned up.

But the loss of her dad was still hard to deal with. His funeral had been especially difficult for her.

She had stood next to Mark and his family in silence as Jacob and Selmak were cremated.

Her façade only slipped at the wake, when Mark had cornered her and hissed, "Why did you have him cremated? Dad never told _me_ he wanted to be cremated."

He hadn't been quiet enough.

Daniel and Teal'c were standing by the buffet table. Their heads snapped up at Mark's words.

Sam just stood there, unable to respond.

"Carter? A word?" General O'Neill's voice sounded behind her, his hand touched her arm lightly.

Sam turned to face him. She smiled up at him gratefully. "Sure, sir." She turned back to Mark, who was suffering under a stern glare from his wife. "Excuse me." She said.

Mark eyed Jack up darkly and nodded to Sam.

She turned to follow the General.

Just before they moved off she saw O'Neill exchange a look with Daniel and Teal'c, who began to make their way towards her brother.

"C'mon, Carter." The General said, leading her through her house to her spare bedroom.

She followed him inside and he closed the door.

"Sir?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Let 'em talk, Carter. I'd rather they talked about… this, than about how you kicked your brother's ass at your dad's wake."

She nodded, seeing the sense in what he said.

She sighed, her shoulders slumping, and made her way to the bed, sitting down heavily on it. "He's just…" She broke off, unable to finish.

"He's grieving, Carter. And probably jealous. You got to spend so much more time with your Dad than he did."

"I know." She said, feeling choked. "I just can't believe he…"

Oh god.

She was crying.

In front of _him._

He sat down next to her on the bed. "C'mere." He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him.

"It's stupid." She mumbled into his shoulder.

"What is?"

"I wasn't lying before, when I said that I was… okay with dad dying, it was true."

"I know."

"It's just…"

"Carter… It was always gonna be hard, dealing with this. It always is. Doesn't matter if you're prepared for it, or if you're… not."

"I know." She said quietly, she had caught the undercurrent in his words.

"You could use a break." He decided. "You've got a lotta leave coming up."

She looked up at him, careful not to dislodge his arm from around her shoulders. Surely he wasn't going to suggest she stay home for the next few weeks? Alone?

"So… me and the guys are going fishing, wanna come with?" He asked.

Thrown off balance by his question, Sam was silent a moment.

"Carter?" He prompted.

"Sorry. I was just… trying to remember the last time you asked me that." She said quietly.

He held her gaze for a long moment.

There was a knock at the door and Daniel stuck his head in. "For crying out loud, Jack, did you even ask her yet?" He asked, exasperated.

Jack narrowed his eyes at his friend's theft of the expression and said, "Just waiting on an answer, Daniel."

Both men turned to look at Sam.

"Well?" Daniel asked impatiently.

"Daniel!" Jack growled warningly.

"Sorry." The archaeologist muttered to Sam. "Well?" He asked, softer.

Sam laughed. "I think I'd like that, sir." She said to Jack.

"Sweet." He replied, smiling at her. "So… tomorrow?"

She nodded. "I'll have to clear it with my CO first, of course." She joked.

Daniel grinned. "Yeah, 'cause you know what a pain in the-"

"Daniel!" Jack warned. He turned back to Sam. "I think you should go clear the air with your brother."

"Yeah, Teal'c's overdoing it with the looming First Prime thing, your brother will probably be grateful for the rescue." Daniel said.

She had smiled and gone to make up with her brother, the respite her friends had given her had allowed them both to gain some perspective.

They had gone to Minnesota.

It had been great. It hadn't surprised her.

One night, Jack had sat them down and told them about his reassignment.

Sam had sensed what it could mean.

But… the sir thing.

She had kept it up, afraid of what she was losing.

Jack reappeared and handed her a beer, derailing her train of thought.

"You're over thinking this." He told her, sitting down next to her on the sofa.

He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. "It doesn't have to mean anything, you know." She gave him a blank look. "The whole reassignment thing." He clarified. "It doesn't have to mean we change anything."

She tried to read his expression and found she couldn't: his face was carefully blank.

"It does though, doesn't it?" She asked.

"Doesn't have to." He replied stubbornly.

"I want it to." She said, finding the words inexplicably difficult to say.

"Me too."

"I just don't want to…"

"Completely fuck it up?" He asked, the sudden coarseness making her chuckle. He smiled. "Me either."

"So… we take this slowly." She said.

"Very slowly, considering I won't be around a lot." He pointed out.

"I'm going to miss you."

"Really? Cool."

She sent him a glare.

"Oh yeah, like I'm not gonna miss you." He said sarcastically. "I shouldn't have to tell you that."

"So… what now?" Sam asked.

"I happen to know there's a movie marathon on the TV." He said, reaching for the remote.

"Which movies?" She asked as he flipped the TV on and settled down on the couch next to her again.

"Some crap." He responded, eyeing her slyly. "_Singing in the Rain_, stuff like that."

She grinned at his teasing. "Its not crap."

"Whatever, Sam." He said, finding the channel.

As they watched, Sam laid her head in his lap, his hand coming down to stroke her hair.

"You really okay?" He asked.

"It's stupid." She said.

"What is?"

"I miss my dad." She replied.

"That's not stupid."

"It is. I hardly ever saw him anyway."

"It's not stupid." He repeated firmly. "You need to talk about it?"

She turned and stared up at him.

"I've got Daniel on speed-dial if you do. Teal'c's good for the talking thing too, if you can ignore the eyebrow."

"Shut up." She told him, laughing.

"That would be shut up, _sir_." He reprimanded.

"Shut up, Jack." She said, turning back to face the TV.

Jack smiled.

Monday was busy. Jack and Sam arrived at the SGC together, provoking smiles from the base personnel.

Jack had several meetings with General Landry and Sam had reports to finish and experiments to run, so they didn't see one another until the afternoon.

Sam was heading up the stairs to the briefing room with Daniel to invite Jack for lunch.

Jack was in the briefing room, sitting down with General Landry. The table was covered in SGC paperwork.

General Landry was looking ever so slightly uneasy about his new job.

Jack was watching him with an amused look in his eyes. "You think this is bad?" He asked the other General. "I'm goin' to DC. Think how _I_ feel."

Landry chuckled. "Not like you to be worried, Jack."

"Worried? I'm not worried. Just… concerned." Jack said.

"Concerned? Why?" Landry asked, obviously glad of a distraction from the paperwork.

Sam and Daniel paused in the corridor outside, listening in.

"Why me?" Jack asked.

"You have to ask?" Landry countered, amused. When Jack didn't reply, he said, "Look, George Hammond obviously thinks you're up to it, or he wouldn't have nominated you. The president seems to agree with him."

"What do you think?"

"I don't know you as well as he does, Jack." Landry said.

"Don't give me that."

"I think they're right."

"Of course you do." Jack muttered.

"Not what you wanted to hear?" Landry said dryly.

"Its just that-" Jack's words were cut off by a blinding flash of light.

"Sam did you-" Daniel turned to speak to Sam, but she was gone too.


	2. Ambassadors to the Furlings

Title: Ambassadors to the Furlings

Chapter: 2 of ?

Email: Cute and fuzzy?

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Rating: Teen

Pairing: S/J

Season: 8/9

Spoilers: Set between Moebius Part II and the season 9 opener, so anything up to that point and season 9 speculation.

Content Warnings:

Archive: My Site: Yes

SamandJack: Yes

Anywhere else: Yes

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's Note:

Ambassadors to the Furlings

Jack materialised in mid-air on board an Asgaard vessel. A split second later his body realised it was trying to sit in a chair on a planet that was several thousand miles below its current position. He fell.

"Ow!"

"Jack? Are you okay?" Suddenly, Jack's world was filled with Sam Carter. She looked concerned.

"Yeah, apart from the fact that I appear to be on a ship, and I just fell on my ass, I'm peachy."

She helped him to his feet.

"Asgaard?" He asked, looking around.

"Looks that way."

A door to their left opened and both of them turned to see an Asgaard walking into the room.

"Thor!" Jack exclaimed, happy to see his friend.

"How do you do that?" Sam muttered under her breath.

"Do what?"

"Recognise him so quickly. They all look the same to me."

"It's a knack." He replied, just as the Supreme Commander reached them.

"O'Neill, Colonel Carter, it is good to see you." The Asgaard said.

"You too buddy." Jack said. "Y'know, if this is just a social call, you didn't have to beam us up, you coulda just dropped into the SGC."

"It is not just a social call." Thor said.

"Uh… Thor?" Sam sounded uneasy.

"Colonel Carter?"

"Why are we moving away from Earth?"

"What?" Jack snapped his attention to the viewscreen. Earth was indeed dropping away from view. "Thor?"

"I have come here to request that you and Colonel Carter undertake a mission, O'Neill."

"This isn't much of a request, buddy." Jack said dryly.

"I apologise, O'Neill, but time is a factor. I have informed your President and he agrees that this mission must take priority."

Jack and Sam shared a look.

"So…" Sam began, "what do the Asgaard need us to do this time?"

Thor's massive black eyes narrowed at her sarcastic tone, but he said nothing. "It is not what the Asgaard need, but what the Tau'ri need." He said enigmatically.

Jack looked from Thor to Sam and back again. "I'm lost. Sam?"

"Not a clue." She told him.

"Do you remember when you first met the Asgaard, O'Neill? They spoke with you about the four races of the ancient alliance."

Jack nodded. "They said we were on our way to becoming the fifth race." He remembered.

Thor's huge head inclined. "We have recently made contact with the Furlings."

"The Furlings? How? When?" Sam asked.

"Easy, Sam, one question at a time." Jack said, smirking.

"The Asgaard were conducting a survey of a planet at the edge of our galaxy when we discovered evidence of a Furling civilisation. We sent a message to the civilisation and received a reply. They wish to meet with representatives of our new allies, the Tau'ri, the race that overthrew the Goa'uld."

"Wait… we didn't _overthrow_ the Goa'uld," Jack said, he turned to Sam. "Did we?"

"We kinda did, Jack." She said.

"Oh." Jack paused and changed track almost imperceptibly. "I take it we're the representatives?"

"You are correct, O'Neill." Thor said.

"Why?" Jack asked.

"Jack!" Sam admonished.

"Just asking."

"I chose yourself and Colonel Carter, O'Neill, because you have both proven yourselves invaluable allies to the Asgaard many times."

"Cool."

"You should both get some rest; this will be a long journey." Thor informed them. "I have prepared sleeping quarters for you both, along with adequate provisions."

"Earth food?" Sam asked.

Thor nodded. "I remembered your dislike for our form of sustenance, Colonel Carter, and I have provided food from your own homes."

Sam looked relieved.

As they started out towards their sleeping quarters, Sam noticed that Jack looked concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, nothin'. I'm just hoping he didn't just beam up the contents of my fridge."

When Sam awoke several hours later, she headed straight for the bridge.

Thor was sitting in his command chair, looking at some sort of schematic on a viewer. He looked up as she entered the room.

"Colonel Carter, I trust you slept well?"

"I did, thank you, Thor." Sam said politely. She walked over to the main viewscreen, which was showing their passage through hyperspace.

She turned when she felt the presence of the small alien close behind her.

"Colonel Carter, may I ask you a personal question?"

She frowned slightly, "Of course."

"Has something changed between yourself and General O'Neill?"

Sam's eyebrows shot into her hairline. "Uh… yeah, it has. Why do you ask?"

"Small differences in your behaviour towards one another." Thor said. "I am most pleased at this development, Colonel."

"You are?" Sam asked blankly.

"Indeed. I have not been unaware of the feelings between yourself and O'Neill."

Sam stared at the alien.

"Perceptive little Asgaard, isn't he?" Jack asked from the doorway.

Both Sam and Thor turned to look at him.

"I'll say." Sam said.

Jack walked into the room, snagging a communicator stone from one of the viewers en route and fiddling with it.

"Are we nearly there yet?" He asked plaintively.

If Thor had been human, he would have rolled his eyes, Sam mused.

"We will reach our destination in approximately twenty three hours, O'Neill, although I am not sure if I can endure such a large amount of time with you when you have nothing to do." Thor paused. "Since this… development between yourself and Colonel Carter is a new one, perhaps you should spend some time together."

Jack narrowed his eyes at the Asgaard.

Sam blushed furiously.


	3. Meeting the Furlings

Anasazi

Title: Ambassadors to the Furlings

Chapter: 3 of ?

Email: Meeting the Furlings

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Rating: Teen

Pairing: S/J

Season: 8/9

Spoilers: Set between Moebius Part II and the season 9 opener, so anything up to then and season 9 speculation.

Content Warnings: None

Archive: My Site: Yes

SamandJack: Yes

Anywhere else: Yes

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's Note:

Meeting the Furlings

Sam was sleeping on her narrow bunk in the room she'd been sharing with Jack when Thor's voice came over the ship's intercom.

"O'Neill, Colonel Carter, we are approaching the Furling world."

Jack looked up from the chess game he'd been playing against himself. Thor had very thoughtfully beamed up some of his and Carter's things. Gameboy and chess for him, books upon books for Sam.

"Sam." He said softly, trying to wake her.

She didn't stir.

Jack stood and stretched. He walked over to the bunk and prodded her in the arm. "Sam. Wake up."

She moaned in her sleep and turned away.

Jack glared at her. "Carter!" He snapped.

Sam sat bolt upright on the bunk and gazed blearily around herself.

Jack chuckled quietly.

She seemed to regain her composure and glared at him. "That's not fair, Jack." She pouted.

"I know," he said brightly, "Thor wants us on the bridge. We're there."

She stood and pulled on her BDU jacket. "Let's go."

"In a minute." Jack said.

She looked at him inquisitively. "Something on your mind?"

"Kinda." He paused. ""We going with Jack, or are we going back to the 'sir' thing?"

"Why?"

"We're on a mission." He pointed out.

"It's a diplomatic mission." She countered.

"Uh huh." He said, sceptically.

"You think something's up?" She asked.

"When isn't it?" He said. "Besides, you know me and diplomacy."

She smiled at him. "How about sir and Carter in public, and Jack and Sam in private?"

"Sounds like a plan." He said.

"Since you're still Jack…" She said, her voice trailing off as her eyes began to sparkle dangerously.

"Yeah?" He said, grinning at her.

She closed the distance between them and kissed him gently on the lips.

Jack pulled her body to his own and kissed her fervently.

When they arrived on the bridge, Thor looked at them intently.

"What?" Jack asked innocently.

"I called you over fifteen minutes ago. It takes five minutes to walk from your sleeping quarters to here." Thor said, his tone devoid of all emotion, as usual.

"Sam was asleep." Jack said.

"It takes ten minutes to awaken Colonel Carter?" Thor asked.

"No. But then she had to get ready, you know women…" Jack said, earning himself a slap on the arm from Sam.

"I do not, O'Neill." Thor said.

"Never mind." Jack said quickly. "So… do we beam down or what?"

"I will transport you once I have contacted the Furling civilisation." Thor informed him.

"You haven't done that already?" Jack asked.

Sam glared at him.

"What?" He asked, spreading his hands innocently.

Out of long practice, Thor ignored his Tau'ri friend and hailed the civilisation below them.

Once transport co-ordinates had been received, he turned to Sam and Jack.

"I will now transport you down." He said matter-of-factly.

"Anything we should watch out for?" Jack asked, his light tone effectively concealing the suspicion Sam knew he was harbouring.

"The Furlings are a friendly race, they will tell you everything you need to know. Your contact is named Kihrana. She is the daughter of their leader."

"Kihrana. Remember that, Carter, there may be a test later." Jack said.

Sam stifled a giggle. "Yes, sir."

"If you need to contact me for any reason, ask Kihrana, she will see to it. I will see you soon. Good luck."

Thor activated the transporter and Sam and Jack were bathed in bright light.

When they reappeared they were in what seemed to be a foyer.

Sam looked around, blinking in the afterglow. The room was large and mostly decorated in browns and creams.

A huge window showed a forest scene.

"It's fake." Jack said from beside her.

"Sir?" She asked, turning to look at him.

"That," he said, nodding towards the window. "There's no forest here. I checked out the planet stats on the way here."

"You really do think something's going to happen, don't you?" She asked.

"Let's just say I wouldn't be surprised." He said wryly.

A large concealed door opened to their left, admitting a small figure.

"You must be General O'Neill and Colonel Carter." The figure said in a pleasantly low voice. "I am Kihrana."

Sam smiled at her, while Jack regarded her warily.

Kihrana was about five feet tall, with long, silky looking hair growing everywhere except her face. Her features were almost feline in appearance, her eyes large and greenish in colour.

"I will liaise between yourselves and the Furling council. If there is anything you should need, do not hesitate to ask." Kihrana said.

"How come you speak English?" Jack asked.

"I do not." Kihrana smiled, showing small fangs.

"Then… how…?" Jack asked, confused.

"I am speaking in Furling, you are hearing in English." Kihrana said. "This room works as a translator." She walked over to a small table in the corner of the room, opened a drawer and took something out. She returned to Sam and Jack. "Here," she said, holding out two thin silvery bracelets. "Put these on, they will act as your translators when you are in all other parts of this city."

"Just _this_ city?" Jack asked.

Sam raised her eyebrows in recognition of the astuteness of the question, but wisely said nothing.

Kihrana smiled. "You will not be going anywhere else, General."

"Uh huh." Jack said, suspiciously.

Fearing that the diplomatic relationship between the Tau'ri and the Furlings would be over before it had even begun, Sam stepped in. "Kihrana, could you show us to where we will be staying during our stay, please?" She smiled at the Furling woman, who returned the expression.

"Of course, Colonel Carter. This way please."

Their quarters turned out to be very large, aesthetically pleasing rooms, with adjoining bathroom facilities and a common lounge area.

Once they had both examined their rooms, they met up in the lounge area.

Sam flopped down in one of the large cream chairs, finding it extremely comfortable.

Jack, however, began to pace the length of the room, checking it over.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, exasperated.

"I don't know." He replied.

"So stop it."

"Something's not right, Carter." He said, giving up and sitting down on the low table in front of her. "Something's going on."

"Why? Because we're only staying in this city?" Sam said, letting '_Carter'_ slide for now.

"You noticed that too, huh?" Jack asked.

"I noticed you noticing it." She said, with what she felt was Daniel-worthy diplomacy.

He glared at her briefly. "I'm not kidding. Didn't you see how tense Kihrana was?"

Sam actually laughed at that. "She's a Furling! How can you possibly know she's tense?"

"I don't know. I just do. I'm tellin' you something's not right here and it's gonna be us that end up getting burned."

Sam opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a pleasant chiming sound.

"Intercom." Jack said.

"How do you know?" Sam asked.

Jack just shrugged, reached for a small button set flush with the table and pressed it.

"Yeah?"

Sam winced at his lack of ceremony.

"General O'Neill. It is I, Kihrana."

"Oh, hi, Kihrana." Jack said.

"Is Colonel Carter with you?"

"She is."

"I would like to invite you both to dinner in my quarters, an informal affair just yourselves and a few other guests." Kihrana said.

Sam could see Jack was about to decline, so she poked him in the knee, hard.

"Ow! Uh yeah, Kihrana… that would be great." Jack said, glaring at Sam.

"I shall pick you up directly."

"Wait!" Jack said. "Kihrana… we don't have anything to wear."

Sam chuckled at this coming from the man who hated dressing up.

Jack let go of the button. "Might as well look nice." He said to Sam.

"Clothes have been provided in your rooms." Kihrana said. "I will give you time to dress, then meet you outside your rooms."

"Okay." Jack said, depressing the button again.

He looked up at Sam, who was watching him intently.

"What?"

"Nothing," she shrugged. "Let's go get dressed for dinner."


	4. Meanwhile, Back on Earth

Title: Ambassadors to the Furlings

Chapter: 4 of ?

Email: Meanwhile, back on Earth…

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Rating: Teen

Pairing: S/J

Season: 8/9

Spoilers: Set between Moebius Part II and the season 9 opener.

Content Warnings: None

Archive: My Site: Yes

SamandJack: Yes

Anywhere else: Yes

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's Note: Sorry about the massive gap between updates. I always seem to be apologising, don't I?

Meanwhile, back on Earth…

Daniel paced the length of the briefing room. There were still papers scattered across the table from Jack's meeting with General Landry. The meeting that had been ended – rather abruptly – only two hours ago, when Jack and Sam had both disappeared in a beam of light.

This was not an unusual occurrence at the SGC. There had been plenty of instances of members of SG-1, usually Jack, disappearing, being taken by the Asgaard.

Daniel shuddered as he remembered that the human form replicators had stolen this technology and used it to kidnap him.

But the replicators were gone, destroyed by the ancient weapon on Dekara.

So it had to be the Asgaard that had taken Sam and Jack.

"DanielJackson, I wish for you to discontinue your pacing." Teal'c rumbled from his seat at the table.

Daniel threw himself into a chair. "Sorry, Teal'c."

He sat staring at the tabletop for a moment, aware that Teal'c was still watching him.

His musings were interrupted by General Landry entering the briefing room from his office.

"Dr Jackson, Teal'c," The General greeted, taking the seat he had occupied in his short lived meeting with Jack.

"General, have you found anything out?" Daniel asked, unable to stop himself.

Landry nodded. "The Asgaard have them. Supreme Commander Thor is on his way to explain now." The General opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by the bright light of an Asgaard transporter beam.

"Greetings." Thor said, from his seat at the other end of the table.

"Thor! Hi." Daniel said, "Where are Jack and Sam?"

"Dr Jackson." Landry admonished.

But Thor didn't seem to mind Daniel's directness. "They are with the Furlings." He said simply.

"The Furlings?" Daniel and General Landry asked in unison.

Thor nodded his huge head. "The Asgaard made contact with Furlings recently. The Furlings expressed an interest in forming an alliance with the race that aided in the annihilation of both the Replicators and the Goa'uld."

"We didn't… _annihilate_ the Goa'uld." Daniel said, slightly uncomfortably.

"They are as good as annihilated." Thor said confidently.

"So the Furlings wanted to meet us," Daniel began, "and you chose Jack?"

Landry looked as though he were stifling a laugh.

"The Furlings specifically requested to meet O'Neill." Thor told them. "I decided to send Colonel Carter to act as a diplomat."

"You wanted to make sure Jack wouldn't get into too much trouble." Daniel translated.

Thor inclined his head.

"With all due respect, Thor," Landry began, "You could have given us a bit of notice."

"I could not, General Landry." Thor said. "The Furlings only allowed a small amount of time for their meeting with the Tau'ri."

"Why?" Landry asked.

"They did not disclose this information with me."

"Is it not dangerous to send O'Neill and ColonelCarter to the Furlings when you do not know why they cannot allow more time?" Teal'c asked.

"The Furlings are ancient allies of the Asgaard." Thor said.

"We're not saying that they would put Sam and Jack in danger-" Daniel began, ever the diplomat.

"Indeed we are, DanielJackson." Teal'c said.

"You taken over from Jack?" Daniel asked, shooting his friend a look.

"The Furlings have not been seen nor heard of by anyone for some time," Teal'c began, "much could have changed since they were the allies of the Asgaard."

"Teal'c!" Daniel exclaimed.

But Thor nodded his head at Teal'c. "Teal'c is entirely correct. Much could have changed. However, O'Neill and Colonel Carter are personal friends of mine; I would not take them anywhere that I did not believe to be entirely safe." He paused. "Not without first warning them of the dangers."

"No one doubts that, Thor." Landry said, taking back control of the conversation.

"We have not been properly introduced, General," Thor said. "It is good to meet the new leader of the SGC."

"Thank you, Thor. My name is Hank Landry, by the way. I apologise for the lack of a proper introduction, but everyone was worried about Jack and Colonel Carter."

Thor nodded. "It is understandable."

"Can you tell us when General O'Neill and Colonel Carter will be returned to us?" Landry asked politely.

"They should be ready to depart the Furling world approximately three days from now." Thor said.

"And Jack was okay with this?" Daniel asked.

"Are you kidding?" Landry asked, "He doesn't have to go to DC, Jack's _fine_."

Daniel smiled in acknowledgement of this fact.

"Are you keeping in contact with O'Neill and ColonelCarter?" Teal'c asked.

"I will contact them in three days' time." Thor informed them.

"But they can contact you if anything goes wrong, right?" Daniel asked.

"Why should anything go wrong, Dr Jackson?" Thor asked politely.

"It's _Jack_." Daniel said.

"Dr Jackson has a valid point, Thor. Can General O'Neill and Colonel Carter contact you, should they need to?"

Thor nodded. "They need only ask Kihrana, their liaison with the Furlings."

Landry winced and Daniel looked down at the table.

"Is there a problem?" Thor asked.

"Well, yeah." Daniel said.

"We are concerned that, should something happen to O'Neill and ColonelCarter while they are among the Furlings, they will be unable to contact you."

"This will not be necessary. As I said earlier, the Asgaard trust the Furlings completely, and I would no more place O'Neill and Colonel Carter in danger than you would."

"Point taken." Landry said.

"But General-" Daniel began.

"I said point taken, Dr Jackson." Landry said. "Thank you, Thor. Is there anything else we can do for you?"

"Nothing." Thor said. "I have brought some files on the Furlings for Dr Jackson to look over, it was hoped that eventually he would be the one to broker the alliance between the Tau'ri and the Furlings."

Landry looked at Daniel.

"I can do that." Daniel said, reaching for the papers that had transported onto the desk.

"Good, get to it." Landry said. "And I assume we'll see you again in a couple of days, Thor?" He enquired politely, turning back to face the Asgaard.

"You will." Thor concurred.

"Right then, lets get back to work, people." Landry stood as Thor transported out of the briefing room, then he headed into his office.

"You are concerned, DanielJackson." Teal'c said. A statement of fact, rather than a question.

"Yes I am." Daniel said. "It's just… something's gonna go wrong."

"You know this for a fact?"

"C'mon Teal'c, this is _us_. Something always goes wrong." Daniel gathered the papers and exited the briefing room.

"Indeed." Teal'c said, before following his friend.


	5. An Informal Dinner

Title: Ambassadors to the Furlings

Chapter: 5 of ?

Email: An informal dinner?

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Rating: Teen

Pairing: S/J

Season: 8/9

Spoilers: Set between the season 8 finale and the season 9 opener.

Content Warnings: None.

Archive: My Site: Yes

SamandJack: Yes

Anywhere else: Yes

Disclaimer: Not mine. Sadly.

Author's Note: Sorry for the gap between updates, but now you have two shiny new chapters for the price of one!

Chapter Five – An Informal Dinner

"Thor never said anything about this!" Jack grouched for about the millionth time.

It was an hour after he and Sam had received their invitation to dinner with the Furlings and Jack was wearing the clothes that had been provided by Thor – apparently.

His dress blues.

His one consolation was that Sam was also wearing her dress blues, and they made her look _hot._

Jack fiddled with his collar – again – trying to make it settle more comfortably.

"Like I won't have to wear this enough in DC."

Sam rolled her eyes and sighed. "I don't like it either, you know."

Jack snorted.

"What?" Sam asked.

"You always look a lot more comfortable in yours than I do."

"That's just because I don't make a fuss." Sam said smugly.

Jack pulled a face.

"Are you wearing your bracelet?" Sam asked.

Jack nodded.

Sam looked at him intently.

"What?" Jack asked, uncomfortable.

"Promise me you won't step on anyone's toes."

"Claws." Jack corrected.

"See! That's what I mean. You-" Sam stopped when she caught the expression on Jack's face. "Very funny."

He nodded, still grinning.

There was a pleasant chiming sound.

Once again, Jack leaned over and pressed the intercom button. "Yeah?"

Sam glared at him.

"General O'Neill, it is Kihrana."

"Hi."

Sam continued to glare.

Kihrana paused, as though puzzled by Jack's manner. Then she continued, "I was wondering if yourself and Colonel Carter were ready for dinner."

"Uh… yeah." Jack said, his eyes roving over Sam appraisingly. "Yeah, we're ready."

"I shall pick you up directly." Kihrana said.

The intercom went quiet.

"All right, what?" Jack asked.

"You're doing this on purpose." Sam accused.

"Doing what?"

She glared, realising she couldn't put it into words. "Nothing." She snapped.

Jack stood and put his hands on her shoulders. "You think I'm a General in the US Air Force and I should act like one, don't you?" He asked, smiling softly.

"Something like that." Sam admitted.

"I need you to trust me for a while, Sam."

"You know I trust you, but I really think you're making something out of nothing here."

"Just bear with me. Please." Jack said.

Sam nodded. "But I'm not gonna be rude to them."

"Perfect!" Jack said, smiling.

"Good cop, bad cop?" Sam asked dryly.

The door chimed.

"I just wanna see how stupid they're willing to believe I am." Jack paused, seeing the look on Sam's face. "Not a word, Carter."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir." Sam said, as Kihrana admitted herself to the room.

Jack and Sam were seated opposite one another at Kihrana's dinner table.

The beginning of the meal had been a little uncomfortable for Jack and Sam. The Furlings had never been in contact with such advanced humans, so on the one hand they were fascinated by Sam and Jack for that reason.

On the other hand, they had heard of the Tau'ri, mainly through the exploits of SG-1.

There had been a hushed silence as Sam and Jack entered Kihrana's drawing room.

Kihrana had introduced them to her five other guests, who all appeared to be quite high up in Furling society.

At Jack's raised eyebrow Sam had said, "She _is_ the daughter of their leader," with a shrug.

"Dinner is served." Kihrana said, she turned and led her guests through large, doors into a dining room that managed to be both large and cosy at the same time.

Jack and Sam were seated opposite one another at Kihrana's side as guests of honour.

As dinner progressed, Sam found herself having problems getting the food into her mouth. This was due to the Furling seated next to her, who introduced himself as Ghatrak.

He was obsessively interested in everything Sam had ever done as a member of SG-1.

It turned out that he was the lead scientist at their 'Facility for the Furthering of Military Technologies'.

Sam found herself talking through most of dinner.

When she finally got the chance to look up at Jack she found him similarly occupied.

The Furling interrogating him was female, Sam couldn't remember her name now.

As Sam watched Jack asked the Furling a question and she launched into a monologue about herself and her job.

Jack and began to eat his food. He seemed to feel Sam's eyes on him, as he looked up and smirked at her, just as Ghatrak asked her another question.

When they finally made it back to their suite Sam threw herself down onto one of the couches, exhausted.

Jack smirked and loosened his tie, slumping down beside her. "Tired?"

"Yeah and hungry. I didn't get to eat a thing all night."

Jack leant up and reached into the pocket of his uniform. He withdrew his hand and gave Sam something wrapped in one of Kihrana's napkins.

She unwrapped it. It was one of the things that had been so much like a chocolate cake that Sam had had trouble keeping from drooling as she talked to Ghatrak and watched as hers was whisked away.

She ate the cake hungrily.

"You're welcome," Jack said sarcastically.

Sam swallowed. "Thanks."

Jack narrowed his eyes at her. "So you were gettin' kinda cosy with…" he searched for a moment, "Hat rack?" he hazarded.

"Ghatrak," Sam corrected.

"Aha!"

"Shut up." Sam said, amused.

They sat in silence for a while.

"Was it just me," Sam began thoughtfully, "or was that informal dinner a bit… interrogative?"

"Told ya so." Jack said.

"You think there was a hidden agenda at dinner?"

"Hell yeah." Jack said. "What did they ask you?"

"Should we really be talking about this here?" Sam asked.

"Where else?"

"Good point. Ghatrak kept asking me about SG-1. Not just stories, he wanted to know the technical details of plans, stuff like that."

Jack nodded. "Vekah was interested in strategy stuff."

"You seemed to derail her, though."

"I asked her what her exact job was. It was complicated."

"You gonna tell me what you think is going on?" Sam asked. "'Cause I have no idea what they're up to."

Jack shrugged. "Me either. I just know something's wrong."

"We should get some sleep." Sam said, "Kihrana said there's some sort of ball tomorrow night."

Jack pulled a face, "Can I say I'm sick?"

"No." Sam said firmly.

They stood.

Sam regarded Jack for a long moment. There hadn't really been much time to assimilate their new relationship, she mused. Neither of them was entirely sure where they stood.

They were two grown adults who had known each other for almost nine years, and neither of them was brave enough to ask the other to come to bed.

"G'night, Sam." Jack said, smiling softly.

Sam looked at him for a moment, wondering if he knew what she'd been thinking.

"Stop it." He said. "You're over thinking again."

"I know." She said.

Jack pulled her closer to him and she rested her head on his chest.

"We agreed to take this slowly," he pointed out, "I really don't think this is the best time to change our minds."

Sam laughed softly.

Jack kissed the top of her head. "I must be nuts."

"Why?"

"I _totally_ coulda convinced you to go to bed with me."


	6. Recon

Title: Ambassadors to the Furlings

Chapter: 6 of ?

Email: Good recon is the key to any successful mission.

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Rating: Teen

Pairing: S/J

Season: 8/9

Spoilers: Set between Moebius Part II and the season 9 opener.

Content Warnings: None

Archive: My Site: Yes

SamandJack: Yes

Anywhere else: Yes

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's Note: This fic was started and will hopefully be finished before season 9 airs in the UK, so its obviously gonna be AU from the end of season 8.

The next day Sam and Jack were given a tour of the city.

They had awoken to find breakfast served in their common room. Kihrana called them over the intercom to say that she would be arriving in an hour to take them on a brief tour of the facility.

They had retired to their separate rooms to dress.

Sam had some anxiety about having to wear her dress blues for the duration of her visit, but they were dispelled when she found a small wardrobe, filled with Furling clothes. She pulled one of the outfits out and inspected it.

It was the same sort of clothing that Kihrana wore, but obviously tailored for a human woman. It was a long, smock-like top, with loose pants, all in cream.

Thanking god that she didn't have to wear yet another dress, Sam pulled the clothes on. She looked around the room, but there was no mirror, so she went back into the common room.

Jack was already sitting on one of the couches. Sprawled would have been a better description. He was completely relaxed, lying back on the couch looking up at something on the ceiling.

He was wearing Furling clothes too.

Sam was exceedingly glad. Much as she liked to see him in his dress uniform – and she'd never admit to him that she did – he was truly annoying when forced to wear it.

The clothes he was wearing now were cut very much like his BDUs. Thor must have told the Furlings of his friend's liking for wearing clothes that were slightly too big. They were dark brown in colour, making him fit in nicely with the surroundings.

He looked good.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, amused.

Not at all phased by her sudden arrival, Jack spoke, "There's this thing-" He looked down at her and stopped. "Nice." He said after a pause. "Very nice."

Looking at him, Sam was reminded of the first time she'd been forced into native dress on Simarka. He looked similar now.

But whereas his expression then had been one of admiration, here there were significant levels of underlying lust. Just the thought of that was enough to make Sam shiver.

"There are no mirrors here." She said, trying to deflect her thoughts. And his.

"Sure there are." He said, his eyes returning to normal.

"Not in my room." She argued.

"Lemme see."

She led him into her room, trying to ignore the part of her that found the thought of him in a space that was supposed to be hers alone arousing.

He took one look around and headed for the 'window'.

He tapped the frame and the scene was replaced by a mirrored surface.

"Told ya." He said, stepping back. "If you wanna change it back, just tap it again." He turned to head back into the common room.

"How did you know to do that?" Sam asked.

Jack shrugged. "It just seemed obvious to me." He said.

"Uh huh." Sam said as Jack left and went back to gazing at the common room ceiling. Sam examined herself briefly in the mirror before following him.

"What _are_ you looking at?" Sam asked.

"There's a holographic bug on the ceiling." Jack said.

"So?" Sam asked.

"Why make a holographic bug?"

Sam shrugged. "To make it more realistic in here?"

"Okay, so maybe my question should have been: Why would you _need_ to make holographic bugs? Everywhere has bugs."

"You think it's a completely synthetic environment?" Sam asked, her interest piqued.

"I wouldn't know; that's your area of expertise."

Sam walked over and sprawled next to him on the couch, looking up. "Where's the bug?"

Jack extended an arm. "There."

Sam looked where he pointed. There _was_ a miniscule bug on the ceiling. "It's a tiny bug." Sam pointed out.

"It's holographic." He insisted. "Watch."

He reached blindly for the table and picked up an ornament. Then he threw it at the bug, catching it when it came back down.

The bug flickered.

"Told ya." Jack said, his tone self-satisfied.

"Very pretty," Jack commented sarcastically as they were led through yet another holographic 'environment'. The tour had been in full swing for almost an hour now, and Sam had fully expected Jack to be bored by now. But he wasn't. He seemed obsessively interested in everything.

Seemingly, Jack also realised that he should be bored by now, too. His comments, therefore, were voiced lazily, drawled rather than said, his entire being exuding boredom. All except his eyes.

Only Sam knew him well enough to see that it was an act.

"Did you say something, General?" Kihrana asked politely.

"I was just wondering why you guys use holograms, instead of having the real thing." Jack said, peering at a holographic flower to his left.

"The holograms are three-dimensional and fully interactive." Kihrana said. "We have no need of the real thing."

"But even the sunlight here is artificial," Sam said, "Surely you must want to feel real sunlight, even if it's only occasionally?"

"I am too young to remember before we had the environment." Kihrana said, smiling slightly.

To Sam the smile seemed forced, as though Kihrana was uncomfortable with their questioning.

With his somehow superior ability to read the Furlings, Jack had also picked up on this and was pressing his advantage.

"But your people made the paradise we found on that moon." Jack pointed out.

"I have heard something of this, yes." Kihrana said slowly.

"So you can't have always lived in-" He paused.

"Environments." Sam supplied.

Jack nodded his thanks.

"We did not. If you wish to know about the time before we lived in environments you may ask my father." Kihrana said.

"When do we meet your father?" Sam asked.

"We are on our way there now." Kihrana informed her.

Sam turned to look at Jack, who was walking behind them. He raised his eyebrows and Sam could not help but agree with his sentiments. This was too weird.

When they were finally ushered into Kihrana's father's chambers they were surprised by their surroundings.

The whole city possessed a clear distinction between inside and outside.

Inside were luxurious furnishings, fine materials, beautiful ornaments.

Outside were stunning flowers, picturesque gardens, exquisite waterways.

The Leader's rooms, however, blurred this strict line.

They were furnished much the same as all the other Furling rooms Jack and Sam had seen, but they were seemingly overflowing with vegetation. Holographic vegetation, of course.

"Please take a seat," Kihrana said, "My father will see you shortly." She turned, and left them in the antechamber.

Sam turned to Jack, who had slumped down in one of the seats and opened her mouth.

Jack shook his head, almost imperceptibly, but to Sam, who had spent years in combat with him, his meaning was crystal clear: don't speak yet.

Daniel was pacing the briefing room again, waiting for admittance to the General's office.

He had just gotten used to it being Jack's office and being able to barge in whenever he needed to.

Now he had to wait.

Finally the meeting in the office broke up and Paul Davis exited, he nodded at Daniel in passing and left the briefing room.

Daniel stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Come in." The still-unfamiliar voice of General Landry called. "Dr Jackson." He greeted as Daniel entered the room. "Take a seat."

Daniel did as he was asked.

"I take it you're here to talk about Jack and Colonel Carter," Landry began dryly, "and not the numerous other projects you are _supposed_ to be working on?"

Daniel contrived to look contrite. "General, something's wrong here. Its not that I don't trust Thor, but this all seems a bit rushed, and that usually means something's wrong."

"What have you found out, Doctor?" Landry asked, forestalling Daniel's stuttered apology.

"The Furlings never had a mythology here on Earth." Daniel blurted.

At Landry's look of polite curiosity, Daniel went on. "Every other race from the ancient alliance has a corresponding mythology here on Earth, other than the Nox, but their absence is explained by their principles. They don't like to interfere."

"I take it the Furlings don't have the same customs?" Landry asked.

"No." Daniel continued. "From what I can tell their behaviour is closer to that of the Asgaard, or the Ancients. They should have a mythology in some period in our history, but they don't."

Landry looked confused. "Maybe they were too busy to be bothered with us?"

"That's right!" Daniel exclaimed, standing. At the General's surprised look he seated himself again, abashed. "That's right," he said, in more normal tones, "They were at war."

"War?" The General repeated.

Daniel nodded. "At around the time two of the races were involving themselves in Earth's mythology and the third was going into hiding, the Furlings were at war."

"With who?" Landry asked.

"Themselves."


	7. Following the Leader

Author's Note: This fic was started and will hopefully be finished before season 9 airs in the UK, so its obviously gonna be AU from the end of season 8.

Feedback is a good replacement for food, you know. ;-)

* * *

Following the Leader

_'He should be pacing,'_ Sam thought, watching him, _'He should be pacing, or at least fiddling with his watch, or… **something**.'_

But he wasn't.

He was sitting perfectly still, watching the holo-plants.

"Sir?" Sam asked, startling him.

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"I'm fine." He replied. "Why?"

"General O'Neill, Colonel Carter."

They turned at the interruption. In the doorway to the office stood a male Furling, obviously Kihrana's father. His clothes were made of a soft grey fabric, bearing no adornment but for a small insignia at his collar.

Sam stood, sensing Jack rising behind her, flanking her.

"You must be the Leader." Jack said smoothly.

The Furling nodded. "You may call me Kihrann, General."

"And you may call me Jack," he paused and Sam was terrified he was going to pronounce the name wrong, "Kihrann." Jack finished finally,

"Colonel Carter," Kihrann greeted. "I have heard nothing but great things of you. You may also call me Kihrann."

Sam smiled, "Thank you."

"What should we call you formally?" Jack asked, "Just in case." He smiled, a wide, friendly and quite pleasant smile.

'_He never smiles like that,'_ Sam thought, watching his eyes. _'He doesn't trust the Leader. We could be in trouble.'_

Jack's mistrust in itself was nothing new; the only problem was that he was usually right.

"You may call me Leader, or Sir." Kihrann said politely. "But I hardly think that will be necessary other than at formal occasions."

"Like the ball tonight?" Jack asked.

"Of course, you are correct." Kihrann said. "Tonight I will be Leader, and you will be General. But for now we are just Kihrann and Jack. Would you like to come into my office?"

As soon as they walked into the absolutely massive office, Sam was astounded by the plant life.

It shouldn't have been possible for there to be more plants in here than in the waiting room, but there were.

They sat down in the chairs Kihrann offered them, while the leader himself walked around his desk and sat down in his own chair.

"Jack?" He asked, seeing that Jack was staring around the office.

"What's with all the plants?" Jack asked bluntly.

Sam cringed inwardly. '_Daniel would be dying of embarrassment right about now.'_

Kihrann smiled, but Sam noticed it was ever-so-slightly strained. "They are beautiful, are they not?"

"Yeah," Jack conceded, "but why so many?"

Kihrann leant, obviously considering his answer. Finally, he said, "You are of course aware that we Furlings did not always live like this?"

"You had that paradise thing." Jack said, his words sounding clumsy and inarticulate compared to Kihrann's refined syntax.

Sam had to force herself not to stare at him.

Kihrann inclined his head. "We did. I believe you spent some time there, Jack?"

"It wasn't much of a paradise by the time I got there. Kind of a Paradise Lost." Sam smiled inwardly at the reference, knowing it was aimed at her and not at Kihrann who could not possibly know _anything_ of Earth literature.

Kihrann smiled again. This time it was the one Sam was starting to recognise as 'tolerating the human'. Jack had found it easy to read the Furling expressions from the start; Sam was picking it up quickly because she dealt with new species on an almost weekly basis. She had to be quick at learning to read them. But it occurred to her that the Furlings themselves had not seen another race for some time. They would not be so quick at learning to read facial expressions.

And the General could be pretty damn indecipherable at the best of times.

"That is a great pity." Kihrann said, looking grave now. "When we lost contact with the Furlings on the moon we thought they must have found a true utopia."

"So you left them to it?" Jack asked, without reproach.

Kihrann nodded. "Do you keep in contact with all the humans in the galaxy?"

Jack smiled. "Of course not."

"Of course not." Kihrann repeated softly. "We lost everything when we left our home galaxy." He mused. "Your galaxy now. The galaxy of the Tau'ri."

"And the Tok'ra, and the Free Jaffa Nation. Not to mention the Nox and about a million other sentient species." Jack said mildly.

Kihrann's eyes snapped to meet Jack's, suspicion flaring. But, seeing nothing in the General's eyes but a good-natured, if slightly imbecilic, desire to enlighten him, Kihrann said, "Of course." He paused, as though he weren't quite sure of his assessment of Jack.

Sam found herself having to keep from shaking her head in disbelief. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually believed the 'dumb soldier' façade that Jack put up, and it never ceased to amaze her how easily other people fell for it.

Kihrann smiled again. "As I said, we lost everything when we left. We wandered for several years, searching for a new home. Then, one of our scientists came to my father with something new, something… _brilliant._"

"The hologram technology." Sam said.

Kihrann smiled at her. "Almost correct, Samantha."

Sam winced inwardly at the use of her full first name.

Kihrann, ignorant of this, continued, "We had possessed the hologram technology for many generations. We developed it alongside our allies, the Asgaard. But this scientist, he had made the holograms fully interactive." He paused, collecting himself. "Our main problem while searching for a homeworld was that there was nowhere with sufficient greenery. We do not _need_ it, as such. But as a race, we seem unable to survive in an environment that lacks plant life. There is no medical reason for this. It is just so. We need to be able to see and interact with greenery to survive."

"So when the scientist created the interactive holograms, you built the environment." Sam said.

Kihrann nodded. "What do you think of our environment, Samantha? I would be most interested in your opinion."

"I think it's frankly amazing, sir. I've never seen anything so intricate, so… dazzling." She paused. "It must take quite a lot of energy to power it."

"Huge amounts." Kihrann said, smiling – _again_.

"How do you manage it?"

Kihrann looked uncomfortable.

"Don't mind Carter, Kihrann. She's always interested in other people's power sources." Jack cut in.

Kihrann looked at him oddly.

For her part, Sam felt rebuked. She glanced at Jack, but his face gave her no answers.

Kihrann saw the look of hurt she gave Jack before Sam could mask it.

"It is quite alright." Kihrann assured them, smiling at Sam, his eyes telling her that he understood her thirst for knowledge. That Jack was just an ass. Sam had been given this look so many times over the years that it came as no surprise. "We have a massive generator. I am afraid I cannot explain to you how it works, but one of our scientists would be proud to."

Sam smiled at him gratefully.

There was a pleasant chiming sound.

"That is my assistant. I am afraid we will have to end this meeting here." Kihrann said, sounding as though he truly regretted it.

Jack and Sam stood. "Thank you for seeing us, Kihrann." Sam said sincerely.

Jack smiled and said, "Just out of interest," Kihrann looked at him politely, "how come Kihrana didn't join us for this meeting? I thought she was supposed to be our liaison?"

_Something_ flashed in Kihrann's eyes before it was masterfully concealed. "Kihrana has other work to do in the city." He said brusquely, smiling all the while.

Kihrann led the way back out into the anteroom, where three important looking Furlings were sitting down and another Furling was standing in the centre of the room, waiting for Kihrann, apparently.

"Ah, Lihbrahn." Kihrann said smiling.

"Leader." The Furling addressed as Lihbrahn said. He was quite young, Sam realised.

"Jack, Samantha, this is Lihbrahn, my aide." Kihrann said by way of introduction. "Lihbrahn, this is General O'Neill and Lieutenant Colonel Carter, from the Tau'ri."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Lihbrahn said cordially, barely glancing at them.

"Lihbrahn, would you escort the General and the Colonel to their quarters please. Kihrana was supposed to be here, but…" Kihrann trailed off.

"It would be an honour, Leader." Lihbrahn said quickly. "Follow me, please."

As Jack and Sam turned to go, Kihrann placed a hand on Sam's arm. "I will see you both at the ball tonight."

"Of course." Sam said, smiling brightly at him.

She glanced up at Jack; he seemed completely indifferent to Kihrann's invasion of her personal space and was staring around at the plants again.

Kihrann removed his hand from her arm and turned away from them, effectively dismissing them.

Jack raised one eyebrow at Sam, showing that he _had _beenpaying attention, and turned to Lihbrahn. "Lead the way." He said, sweeping a hand in front of him.

Lihbrahn saw them all the way to their quarters and safely inside before he spoke. "You are the General O'Neill and Colonel Carter from the Tau'ri?" He asked quietly. "From SG-1?"

Jack had nodded. "Yeah."

"That is good. I will see you at the ball tonight. Kihrana will pick you up in approximately two hours. "

Jack had nodded, dismissing him.

Once the door had closed behind Lihbrahn, Jack sunk down onto one of the couches. "Say it."

"Say what?" Sam asked.

"Whatever it is that's bugging you."

Sam stared at him. "What are you doing? Making me look stupid in front of the Leader, ignoring me, treating me like…"

"A subordinate officer?" Jack finished. Sam stared at him. Jack sighed and climbed to his feet. He walked over to Sam and put his hands on her shoulders. "Don't you trust me?"

"It's not that." She assured him. "I just can't work out what you're doing."

"And that worries you?"

Sam nodded.

"I would never do anything to put you in danger. That's what I'm trying _not_ to do."

"You don't want them to know about us." Sam said.

Jack shook his head. "Just in case."

Sam nodded. "I don't think there's anything going on here, Jack. Kihrann is a bit… weird, that's true but I don't think he has a sinister motive."

While she was speaking Jack walked behind her and began to massage her shoulders. "Maybe not."

Sam moaned and rolled her head to the side. "Don't try to distract me."

"Okay." Jack murmured, pressing his lips to her neck.

The sensation of his body pressed against her back combined with his mouth on her neck was slightly claustrophobic and entirely erotic. Sam found herself trying not to breathe in case he moved away.

Reluctantly she said, "We have a ball to get ready for." Her voice coming out husky and low.

"Need any help?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, do you?" Sam said, her voice coming out slightly breathless.

She _felt_ Jack smirk against her neck. "_Samantha_, I'm shocked at you. I only offered to help you get ready, you make it sound so… _dirty._" Sam trembled at the way he said _dirty_, smiling at the same time. "I'm hurt." He finished.

"Uh huh." Sam said, disbelieving, but also unable to say anything else for the moment.

"You're right." Jack said, sighing, stepping back, and walking into his room, leaving Sam feeling bereft.


	8. The Ball

Hi, just to say: thank you for all the feedback, and I am so,  
SO sorry about the lack of updates. Hopefully I'm back on track with  
this now!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Ball

Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter peeked out from the security of  
the pillar she had chosen to lurk behind.

"If you're looking for Hat Rack he's over by the buffet table."  
Jack's voice came from so close behind her that she jumped, almost  
hitting her head on the pillar.

"Didn't mean to scare you, Carter," Jack said as Sam turned to face  
him.

"He won't leave me alone!" Sam said, exasperated.

"Hey, it's not his fault you're so charming." Jack said, grinning.

Sam narrowed her eyes at him. "How about you? What do you think of the  
ball," there was only the slightest of pauses between the end of her  
sentence and her addition of "Sir?"

Jack shrugged. "It's just like Air Force functions," he said, "boring  
as hell."

Sam smiled in tacit agreement with his sentiments.

"Ah, Colonel Carter!" Ghatrak's voice boomed from behind her.

"Why didn't you warn me he'd seen me?" She hissed at Jack.

"I didn't see him." Jack said, shrugging again. "Wanna blow this joint  
and get a room?" He murmured low enough that the fast-approaching Ghatrak  
wouldn't hear him.

Sam blushed and turned to face Ghatrak, preferring to deal with him than  
with Jack right at this moment.

She felt Jack smirk, rather than saw it, then felt his presence disappear,  
leaving her to Ghatrak's eager interrogation.

Several exhausting hours of questioning later, Sam looked around for Jack.  
She had spotted him several times throughout the night, but now – when she  
wanted to go back to their quarters – he was nowhere in sight.

"Great," she muttered.

"Did you say something, Colonel Carter?" Ghatrak asked, attentive as ever.

Sam shook her head and smiled at Ghatrak, too exhausted to actually answer  
him.

The sound of raised voices came to Sam's attention. She turned towards the  
source of the sound and saw Lihbrahn in mid argument with the Leader,  
Kihrann.

Before Sam could pick up the thread of the argument Kihrann waved a  
hand in the direction of some guards who came over and dragged Lihbrahn  
away.

As the young Furling was dragged away he seemed to become even more  
incensed. "You cannot stop us! We will find a way!" he shouted at Kihrann,  
who bared his teeth at the younger male in an almost animal way.

Then Kihrann turned away and caught Sam's eye. His expression changed  
immediately, it became one of deep disappointment and sadness. Had Sam  
not seen his previous expression, she would have believed he was truly  
saddened that Lihbrahn his behaved in this way.

There was a commotion by one of the exits and Sam turned to see Kihrana  
shaking herself free of one of her father's bodyguards. The young furling  
sent a venomous look at Kihrann and stormed out of the ballroom.

Ghatrak cleared his throat behind Sam. She turned and looked at him  
politely, careful to conceal the fact that she was deeply interested  
in what was going on.

"Since General O'Neill appears to have disappeared, shall I escort you  
to your room, Colonel Carter?" Ghatrak asked.

Sam gave a mental sigh and said, "Thank you, Ghatrak."

When Sam entered the suite, closing the door – politely – in Ghatrak's  
face, she found it empty.

"Sir?" She called, walking over to the door to Jack's room. "Jack?"

He was nowhere in the suite. Sam raised her eyebrows then headed into  
her own room to change.

"Sam?" Jack's voice was distant, as though he were calling her from far  
away, "Sam, wake up." There was a pause, during which Sam steadfastly  
refused to wake up, then: "Dammit. Carter!"

Sam woke up, as she would at any other time her commanding officer  
barked her name in that tone. Then she glared at Jack.

"Stop doing that," She mumbled sleepily.

"Sorry," Jack said, looking genuinely apologetic, "but it does seem  
to work."

"Where have you been?" She demanded, her voice losing some of its  
authority due to her sleepy tone. She looked at her watch, "It's  
been two hours since I got back."

"I went to do a little exploring on my own." Jack said, mysteriously.  
"Did you see the thing with the Kihrann and Lihbrahn?"

"Yes. How did you see it? You'd disappeared by then.'

"From the outside. I saw them take him away."

"Where have you been?" Sam pressed again.

"Just having a look around the city. Its beautiful at night."

Sam stared at him, knowing he'd been out on recon and was unwilling  
to share his findings. Sam suddenly realised he was staring at her  
rather intently. '_Scratch that,'_ she thought, _'make it unable.'_

She nodded slightly, "Ok."

"So," Jack began, taking one of her hands in his own, "how was the  
Ball? Did I miss anything?'"

Sam told him about the ball for the next half hour, Jack laughing  
at Ghatrak bringing her to her door – "like a prom date!". When  
she'd finished he stood and stretched. "I don't know about you  
but I need sleep, we've got one more day here and I'll bet its gonna  
be a long one. Night, Sam." He pulled her close to him and kissed her  
lightly.

Sam, however had no intention of letting him off so lightly and pressed  
him to her kissing him hard on the mouth. Jack moaned audibly, making  
Sam smile against his mouth.

"I hate you, Carter, you know that?" He said, staring after her as  
she turned and walked into her room.

"Night, Jack."

After she closed the door Sam maintained the dreamy smile she'd had  
on her face, but inwardly her mind raced, thinking about the message  
Jack had traced on the back of her hand in Air Force code.

_NO WAY OUT_

"Daniel and Teal'c were deeply immersed in what Daniel had come to call  
'The Furling Files', when the phone in Daniel's lab rang, disturbing them.

Daniel picked it up. "Dr Jackson."

Teal'c watched his friend have a very short discussion then hang up with a,  
"Yes, General."

Daniel was clearly agitated by his conversation. Teal'c raised an eyebrow,  
knowing that would be sufficient to get the archaeologist to commence his explanation.

"That was the General," Daniel began. Teal'c inclined his head, that much  
had been obvious. "He just spoke to Thor who got a message from the Furlings.  
Sam and Jack are gonna stay there for another seven days."


	9. Resistance?

Resistance?

The next morning, the chiming of the intercom awakened Sam and Jack. Sam  
was the first into the common room and flailed at the switch, her  
movements dulled by sleep. Just as she hit the switch, Jack wandered into  
the room, stretching languidly.

"Hello?" Sam said, nodding in greeting to Jack as he sat down opposite her.

"Colonel Carter," Ghatrak's voice came from the speaker. Sam pulled a face  
at Jack. "I trust I have not awoken you too early?"

"Not at all," Sam said, stifling a yawn.

"I was wondering if I could see yourself and General O'Neill for a moment?"

Sam was aware of Jack straightening up suddenly and paying keen attention  
to the intercom. She shot him a look, but he merely shook his head and  
waved a hand towards the intercom, indicating she should answer.

"Of course, Ghatrak. You remember where our quarters are?"

"I was wondering if you would join me for breakfast? Its such a beautiful  
day in the city." Ghatrak said, sounding more nervous now than when he  
started the conversation.

Sam looked up at Jack, who nodded. "Of course, Ghatrak. Where would you  
like to meet?"

"By the Fountain of Jharaak, in ten minutes." Ghatrak said.

Jack nodded to Sam and she said, "Ok. We'll be there."

Ghatrak signed off and Sam looked up at Jack. "Why did you seem to be  
expecting that?"

Jack merely shrugged. "General's intuition?" He stood and stretched  
again, then looked down at Sam. "Shall we get dressed?"

"Do you know where this fountain is?" Sam asked.

Jack nodded. "I found it last night," he said, "It'll take us about ten  
minutes to get down there, so Hat Rack's gonna be waiting a while anyway."

The fountain was beautiful. '_Holographic, obviously,'_ Sam thought, _'but  
still beautiful.' _

Ghatrak was pacing in front of the fountain, displaying more agitation  
than Sam had yet seen in a Furling.

"Ghatrak?' she called to him. The Furling looked around nervously, relaxing  
only when he spotted Sam and Jack.

He hurried over to them. "General O'Neill, Colonel Carter, I am so very  
glad you came." A look of guilt flitted across his face, "I'm afraid I  
told a small lie in order to get you here without arousing suspicion.  
I have no breakfast for you."

Jack sighed. "What's going on, Hat Rack?"

Sam closed her eyes in embarrassment, but Ghatrak seemed not to notice  
Jack's clearly deliberate mispronunciation of his name.

Ghatrak spoke in a frenzied whisper, leaning towards them as though  
conspiring. "When we heard you were coming here we knew what it could mean.  
Vekah said you would help us. Now Vekah has disappeared. They have taken her!"  
He broke off, looking around fearfully.

"Who took her?" Jack asked.

"They have!" Ghatrak said, as though it should be obvious.

"Who are 'they', Ghatrak?" Sam asked gently, wondering at the Furling's level  
of distress.

"The Leader's men." Ghatrak said, reluctantly.

Sam looked up at Jack, but his face betrayed nothing. "Why would the Leader  
take Vekah?" She asked.

"Because of the resistance." Ghatrak said. "Vekah was very important to the resistance. She was very important to me." He added quietly, almost as an afterthought. He looked up at Sam and Jack. "You have to help us."

"What is the resistance?" Jack asked, his tone indicating that he thought  
Ghatrak mad.

Ghatrak looked around, apparently terrified out of his wits. Two more  
Furlings were entering the garden that housed the statue. He shook his  
head. "You don't believe me. But they took Vekah. None of us are safe here,  
not even you. You will see. They will detain you here, making it seem like  
an extension to your visit. Its not. Please, help us." This last was so  
quiet it was almost inaudible. Then Ghatrak straightened and said in a  
voice that sounded much more like the one Sam had gotten used to, "I bid you  
a good day, General O'Neill and Colonel Carter, and I will see you tonight  
at the party to confirm the friendship between the Tau'ri and the Furlings."

Ghatrak turned abruptly and hurried away, leaving Sam and Jack by the  
fountain.

Sam turned a confused look to Jack, who motioned for her to be quiet. When  
the other two Furlings left the garden he nodded for her to continue. "Sir,  
did you know something about this resistance?"

Jack shook his head. "We don't know that Ghatrak's not lying. We've been lied  
to before. But I still think _something's _goin' on here."

"The idea of a resistance fits with Ghatrak's questioning." Sam pointed out.

"Yeah, but what are they resisting?" Jack asked.

Sam didn't have an answer, so she remained silent.

"We'll know soon enough, anyway," Jack said. "Ghatrak mentioned two things  
that we don't know about that are supposed to be happening today."

"The extension of our visit and the party." Sam said.

Jack nodded, "If and when they happen, I think we'll hear more from old Hat  
Rack."

When they got back to their quarters they found breakfast waiting for them.

They ate in silence, each following their own line of thought. Sam could  
see Jack strategising, running his mind through scenario after scenario  
trying to work out what was afoot here.

In a way, she guessed he must be enjoying this. Not the being trapped on  
an alien world a million light years from home. '_More,'_ she unconsciously  
corrected herself. But he must be relishing the chance to be in the field  
one last time, before he had to go to Washington.

For her own part, Sam could not see what was going on. She believed Jack  
about his misgivings, he was usually right in these situations. Nevertheless,  
she could not see a need for a resistance here. As Jack had said earlier,  
resisting what?

"You remember the time we got memory stamped?" Jack asked, out of the blue.

Sam nodded. The memory made her uncomfortable, even now that she and Jack  
were… together, for want of a better term. "Why?"

"From the outside, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with the place,  
right?" Sam nodded again. "But then you spotted those vents." Jack continued.  
"We just need to look for something, even a tiny thing, that's wrong."

"We can't assume that this 'resistance' is the right side to take," Sam  
pointed out, "we've picked the wrong side before."

Jack nodded, remembering the mission. "Still…" he said, letting the sentiment  
hang in the air.

Sam watched him finish his breakfast, hating the fact that she couldn't talk  
openly to him. Wishing they would get some time truly alone, to regroup. She  
also found herself missing Daniel and Teal'c. Regardless of what Thor had  
said, this had become a mission, and for a mission, they should be SG-1,  
not SG-0.5.

The intercom buzzed for attention. Jack answered it. "Hello?"

"General O'Neill," Kihrana's voice. She sounded stressed. "My aides said  
you and Colonel Carter were not in your rooms when they delivered breakfast,  
I trust everything is well?"

"We just wanted to take a walk in the city before breakfast. It's a military  
thing."

Sam rolled her eyes playfully at his cover.

"Very well," Kihrana said, "I will come by your rooms shortly as I have  
something to discuss with you."

"We'll be expecting you," Jack replied.

When Kihrana arrived she entered their common room and took a seat. Sam  
and Jack took the couch opposite her.

"What was it you wanted to discuss?" Jack asked amiably.

"Are you enjoying your stay with us?" Kihrana asked, clearly dodging the  
question.

Sam nodded. "You live in a very beautiful city."

"Yes, it is beautiful." Kihrana responded.

They sat in silence for a moment, and then Jack said, "You said there was  
something you wanted to discuss?" Daniel would have been cringing at his  
friend's lack of diplomacy.

Kihrana looked taken aback for a moment, then said, "Indeed. My father has  
expressed a desire for you both to stay a little longer."

Sam covertly shot a look at Jack, but his only response to Kihrana's words  
had been a look of mild interest. "Really?"

"Yes. He would like to get to know you better, and for you to get to know  
us better. He requests that you stay another seven days, if it is at all  
possible."

"We would need to send a message to Thor, so that he can notify Earth,"  
Jack said.

"We can take care of that." Kihrana said.

"I would like to send my own message," Jack said, politely, "They'll  
only worry if they don't hear from us. And I think Colonel Carter  
should go back, the place falls apart without her." He smiled.

Sam would have been insulted if she hadn't realised he was trying to get  
her out of here. He was right. This did feel like a trap of some kind.  
She was about to open her mouth and say, very diplomatically, that she  
wasn't going anywhere without him, but Kihrana spoke first.

"My father would really rather you both stayed. He has a great interest  
in Tau'ri technologies and has been informed that it is Colonel Carter  
who is the expert in this field."

"Can't deny that," Jack acceded. "Okay, we'll both stay. They'll just  
have to get along without Carter."

Kihrana smiled tensely.

"But I still need to send a message home." Jack said. "Like I said,  
they'll worry."

His words served to tell Kihrana that if the Tau'ri did not hear from  
him, there might be repercussions.

"It is really not necessary, but very well," Kihrana agreed. "We will  
go to the communications centre and send the message now, if you are ready?"

"We are." Jack said.

Teal'c was alone in the gym when the PA system announced, "Teal'c, report  
to the briefing room. Teal'c, report to the briefing room."

When he got there he found Daniel and General Landry already seated at the  
table. Scattered around where the remnants of what had clearly been an archaeological briefing or debriefing. Seated opposite the General was the  
reason that the briefing had been discontinued: Supreme Commander Thor.

"Have a seat, Teal'c." General Landry said.

Teal'c inclined his head and sat.

"Now that we're all here," General Landry said, "would you like to tell us  
what this is all about, Thor?"

"I have received a message from O'Neill," the Asgard said.

"From Jack?" Daniel asked, "but we got a message from him yesterday."

"I have reason to believe that message did not come from O'Neill." Thor  
said. "This recent message is more like him, and makes no reference to  
the previous message. It simply states the fact that O'Neill and Colonel  
Carter will be staying on the Furling world for several more days, in a  
way that is a closer match for O'Neill's speech than the previous message."

Daniel sent a significant look at Thor, who either didn't understand it  
or ignored it. Considering that Thor seemed to read Jack quite well,  
Daniel believed it to be the latter.

"What do you advise we do, Thor?" Landry asked.

"I wish for Dr Jackson and Teal'c to accompany me to the Furling world."  
Thor said simply.

"Is that a good idea?" Landry asked, "There could be nothing sinister going  
on."

Thor inclined his great head. "In that case, I am simply bringing the rest  
of the legendary SG-1 to meet the Furlings, and hopefully broker an alliance."  
Thor said.

Landry considered this for a moment. "Let me make a call."

When he came out of his office he turned to Daniel and Teal'c and said,  
"Gear up. Take some gear for Jack and Colonel Carter, too, just what they  
would usually take offworld. Be ready to leave ASAP."


	10. Disappearances

Disappearances

The party was boring. Sam had been trying not to think the thought for about an hour when it snuck up on her and thought itself. The party had actually been postponed for two days, due to the busy schedules of the upper echelons of Furling society.

"I doubt it," Jack had remarked, after Kihrana had stopped by to tell them this and then left.

Sam had nodded. "Everything here is too well planned out for that."

Jack smirked. "Something's up."

Sam wanted to talk about it some more, but she and Jack were both becoming increasingly uneasy about what they said aloud, and code could only get them so far. The distance growing between them was killing them both, after all these years they were finally allowed to be… closer… and now this.

Anyway, when the party finally happened it was boring. Sam and Jack had been formally introduced by the Leader to the assembled throng. Sam noticed that Kihrana glared at her father frequently throughout his speech, and did not join them at the top table for the meal.

This was the first public meal that Sam actually got to consume, as Ghatrak was not seated at the top table. Casting her eyes around the room, Sam had realised he wasn't there at all.

When the meal was finished the tables sank into the floor and the party got into its full – boring – swing, with everyone milling about and talking to everyone else.

A couple of times Sam looked around to find Jack deep in conversation. Firstly, it was with Kihrana. The young furling looked angry - as far as Sam could tell - and at one point Jack laid a placating hand on her arm.

The second time Sam sought him out with her eyes Kihrana was nowhere to be seen and Jack was talking to Kihrann, the Leader. Jack looked serious. He didn't speak very much, merely kept nodding. An underling approached the Leader and he looked away to deal with the request. Jack looked up and met Sam's eyes. He raised his eyebrows. Something was up.

Once the party was over Sam and Jack were permitted to retire to their quarters. Jack was silent for the entire walk there, which Sam had expected, since they were escorted by two of the Leader's aides.

Normally they would have been escorted by security of some kind, but there didn't appear to _be _any security in the city. Sam filed this new thought away as it occurred to her.

What Sam hadn't expected was for Jack's silence to continue when they were alone. He simply sat on one of the couches and looked as though he wasn't aware of her presence.

"Jack?" Sam asked.

He looked up at her, "Yeah?"

"You're very quiet," Sam said, unable to think of anything else.

"Just tired, I guess," Jack responded.

"Oh," Sam said.

Abruptly, Jack stood. "I'm gonna get some sleep." He looked down at her, then put his hand on her shoulder, his action in complete contrast with his behaviour. "Night, Sam."

Sam smiled up at him guardedly, her mind on the message he was sending through his fingers. _'Take care' _

Sam's eyebrows drew together questioningly, but Jack turned and walked into his bedroom.

Sam sat up for a few minutes more, trying to work out what the _hell_ was going on. Then, finding it unfathomable – for tonight, at least, - she went to bed.

The next morning brought Sam two surprises.

She walked into the common room to find it occupied – by Daniel and Teal'c.

"Daniel! Teal'c!" She greeted them warmly, happy to see her friends here.

Her teammates looked up from the breakfast they'd been rapidly consuming.

"Hi Sam!" Daniel said, smiling at her.

"ColonelCarter," Teal'c's greeting was more sedate, but no less warm.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sam asked.

"Thor brought us. To uh… help broker the alliance." Daniel said, his hesitation betraying his lie.

Sam nodded knowingly at him and Daniel relaxed, happy that he'd conveyed his meaning.

"Where is O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"Is he not up yet?" Sam asked.

"Jack's not in his room." Daniel said, back on his breakfast now, "we thought he might be with you." He paused in his movement, realising what he'd just said, and turned red. Sam could have sworn Teal'c smirked.

She smiled. "Its okay, Daniel," the archaeologist relaxed, "but he isn't in my room."

"Oh?" Daniel asked, probingly.

"No." Sam returned. "We decided to take it slow."

"Uh huh," Daniel said, clearly not happy with this turn of events. "You know, Sam, some people might consider nine years-"

"So where is he?" Sam asked, cutting her friend off.

Daniel changed tack admirably. "No idea. Like I said, we thought he was with you," there was the slightest of pauses before Daniel went on, "but since he's not, we're all out of ideas."

The intercom chimed for attention. Sam reached over and hit the button. "Hello?"

"Colonel Carter, this is Kihrana."

"Good morning, Kihrana."

"I trust you have found your friends are present?" Kihrana asked politely.

"Yes, Daniel and Teal'c are eating breakfast," Sam said, puzzled at Kihrana's stiff, cold tone.

"That is good. When you have all broken your fast would you please join me in the garden of the Fountain of Jharaak?"

"Kihrana, General O'Neill isn't here," Sam said.

"I know. I will explain his absence when I see you." Kihrana said.

"Okay," Sam said, her tone barely betraying her uncertainty. " We can be there in fifteen minutes."

"Thank you," Kihrana said, sounding truly thankful.

The garden was completely empty. Sam remembered it being empty before, when she and Jack had met with Ghatrak and wondered about it.

Kihrana arrived shortly after SG-1, looking harassed.

"Kihrana," Sam greeted.

"Colonel Carter," Kihrana returned, she looked at Daniel and Teal'c. "You must be Dr Daniel Jackson and Teal'c."

Daniel nodded and Teal'c inclined his head once. "Where is O'Neill?" The Jaffa asked.

Kihrana smiled. "I admire your directness, Teal'c." She paused. "My father has sent General O'Neill to see another facility." At the mention of her father, Kihrana's voice took on a bitter tone.

Sam stared at her. Clearly Kihrana was unhappy about something and clearly she wanted to talk, but she wasn't."

"I will call for you in approximately two hours in order to give you a guided tour of our power facility, Colonel Carter." She looked up at Daniel and Teal'c, "You are welcome to accompany us, of course."

"Thank you," Daniel said.

"Indeed."

Kihrana nodded. "In two hours, then." She turned and began to walk away.

"Kihrana," Sam called, "wait!"

The young Furling stopped and turned. Sam walked over to her so that she was standing close. "What is it you're not telling us?"

"Colonel?" Kihrana asked, all innocence.

"What's really going on here?" Sam pressed, "What is the resistance?"

Panic flashed in Kihrana's eyes for a moment and Sam wondered just how old the Leader's daughter was.

"I…" Sam expected Kihrana to say 'I don't know' but what she actually said was, "I can't tell you," in a hushed voice and then turned and hurried away, leaving Sam looking after her.

"Sam?" Daniel appeared at Sam's side, flanked by Teal'c.

"Yes, Daniel?"

"We need to talk."

"I know. Let's get back to our quarters."

"I think we should speak here, ColonelCarter," Teal'c said, "have you not been brought here on two occasions to be told things that you were perhaps not supposed to know?"

"Once, with Ghatrak." Sam corrected.

"Teal'c's right, Sam. It's twice. If the Leader had wanted us to know about where Jack was we would have been told before he left. I think Kihrana might be getting herself into a bit of trouble." Daniel said.

Sam nodded. "You're right. Is that what you wanted to talk about?"

Daniel shook his head. "We're here because we knew something was going on."

"How?"

"We got two messages saying you and Jack were staying longer. One that was definitely from Jack." He paused. "That was the second message. We got that a day after we got the first."

"The Furlings sent a message a day before they spoke to us about staying." Sam stated.

"It would appear so," Teal'c responded.

Sam smiled ruefully. "And now Jack's disappeared."

"Thor is in orbit, Sam." Daniel said.

"There's nothing he can do from up there. If the Furlings want to hide him away for whatever reason they can do it well, the level of technology here is amazing. Everything is holographic."

"I thought so," Daniel said, "it doesn't… _feel_ real."

Sam shook her head.

"What now?" Daniel asked.

"We wait and see. If we hear nothing by the end of the day, we'll have to make a plan. We'll have to find Jack ourselves."


	11. Power

Title: Ambassadors to the Furlings

Chapter: 11 of ?

Email: Power

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Rating: Teen

Pairing: S/J

Season: 8/9

Spoilers: Set between Moebius Part II and the season 9 opener.

Content Warnings: None

Archive: SJFic: Yes

SamandJack: Yes

Anywhere else: Yes

Disclaimer: Only the story belongs to me.

Author's Note: This was begun **way** before season 9 aired in the UK, so its completely AU from the end of season 8 onwards.

A big thank you to everyone who sent feedback – all really lovely and encouraging. I'll keep this up if you keep that up, deal? ;-)

Power

By the time they were halfway through their tour of the power facility Sam was beginning to seriously worry about Jack. They had heard nothing new since their odd meeting with Kihrana and any hopes Sam might have been harbouring that the Leader's daughter would reveal more on this tour had been dashed when Kihrana had left them in the hands of a Furling Sam hadn't met yet.

As their guide showed them yet another empty control room (the station was completely autonomous, requiring only monthly visits from Furling engineers) Sam felt herself growing angry.

The only point of interest throughout the whole tour had been the fact that they'd had to journey out of the city in order to get here and had been given different translator bracelets for the duration, which changed the readouts on the screens into English.

"Colonel Carter?" Sam looked up; it appeared she had not been paying attention to their guide. She wondered how long he'd been calling her name.

"Yes?"

"I was just explaining that this next room houses the first of the two generators that power this facility and the city itself."

"Okay," Sam remarked, at a loss for anything else to say.

They walked into the room with the generator. Room was an understatement, this was a hall filled almost to capacity by the generator.

"You have two of these?" Daniel asked, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the surprisingly low growl of the generator.

"Yes. They power this installation and the city, as I said, and also the private citadel of the Leader."

Sam sensed Daniel sending Teal'c a confused look, and saw the Jaffa's slight head movement that meant he was also confused. "What citadel?" She asked.

"The Leader's second home. On many days after work he retires there to be among his plants and away from city life." The guide paused, a little uncertain if he should have answered that question. "Surely you know about the citadel?"

"Of course. I thought you meant something else." Sam said, grimacing inwardly at the feebleness of the excuse.

Nevertheless, the guard seemed to be satisfied. He turned and led the way to the second generator.

After the tour, Sam, Daniel and Teal'c were met by Kihrana. "I trust you found the tour informative?" She asked.

"Indeed we did." Teal'c responded.

Kihrana smiled. "Colonel Carter, my father wishes to see you in his office. Gheera will take you there now." Kihrana indicated the Furling who had shown them around the power station. "Dr Jackson, Teal'c, if you would come with me please?"

"Why aren't we going with Sam?" Daniel asked.

Kihrana smiled again. "My father has informed me that he wishes to see Colonel Carter alone."

"Why?" Daniel asked.

"My father is a wise and just leader. It is not for me to question his decisions," Kihrana said. "Nor is it for you to do so," she added, her tone hardening.

Daniel looked like he was about to object, but Teal'c laid a hand on his arm and Sam said, "Its okay, Daniel." She turned to Gheera, "Lead on."

Daniel Jackson was not happy. As he followed Teal'c and Kihrana he kept trying to work out possible scenarios to explain the Furlings' behaviour, but he was an archaeologist not a strategist. _'No, for that I need Jack. Its just like him to disappear when we need him.'_ Realising how untrue that was and that he was sulking Daniel looked up and took a renewed interest in his surroundings.

Something was wrong.

"Uh… Kihrana?"

"Dr Jackson?" Kihrana asked, her tone cold.

"Why aren't we heading back to Sam's quarters to wait for her?"

"You also have a meeting to get to, Dr Jackson." Kihrana answered quietly.

Sam was sitting in the leafy claustrophobia of the Leader's office alone, waiting for the Leader himself to make an appearance. She'd been there for ten minutes already, and was beginning to get irritated.

Finally the Leader appeared through a door at the back of the room. He smiled genially at Sam and sat down opposite her.

"You must forgive me Colonel Carter, I am overtired." He pushed a plate of biscuits towards her and poured them both some Furling coffee for them both. "Please help yourself," he said, indicating the biscuits.

Sam did so, in the interests of politeness, and felt slightly calmer, breakfast had been a long time ago,

The Leader's manner changed abruptly, he became serious. Grave, even. "I am afraid you have not been made aware of everything you should have, Samantha. May I call you Samantha?" He asked hurriedly.

Sam nodded. "What have I not been made aware of, sir?"

"Please, call me Kihrann."

"Kihrann." Sam corrected, hating herself for playing the diplomatic game with someone who was being completely dishonest with her.

"First of all I wish you to know that I wanted to be completely honest and open, both with the Tau'ri and the Asgard. However, I was given bad advice. My advisors, for reasons I will explain in a moment, thought it best that we get the Tau'ri here by any means necessary. They thought that your superiors would not allow you to come if you knew."

"Knew what, Kihrann?" Sam pressed, allowing a hard edge to creep into her tone.

"About the revolutionaries." Kihrann said bluntly.

"Revolutionaries?" Sam asked, at the same time thinking, '_Revolution. Has a different ring to it than Resistance, doesn't it?'_

Kihrann nodded, contriving to look both grave and sad. "Some of our people are not happy here. They do not appreciate the holo-evironment."

'_Like getting blood from a stone with this guy,'_ Sam thought with annoyance. "They want to leave?"

"No!" Kihrann exclaimed. "They want to destroy the environment! They want to dismantle the power station!" The Leader realised he had spoken slightly too loudly and cleared his throat with a growling sound. "Of course, we have tried living without the environment before, but it was impossible. It caused depression and recklessness in the most stalwart of our people. But these revolutionaries are young, they were born here and they do not know what it was like before. They disregard our warnings and threaten us."

"Kihrann," Sam began, when she was quite sure he had finished, "where is General O'Neill?"

Kihrann shifted uncomfortably. "I am afraid the revolutionaries have him."

"They kidnapped him?" Sam asked.

"No," Kihrann sounded miserable, "I am afraid they have indoctrinated him. They knew of General O'Neill's sympathy for oppressed peoples from the stories of how he triggered the Jaffa rebellion with your friend Teal'c, and they played on those sympathies. I do not know where they have taken him."

Sam just stared at him.

"I want to assure you, Colonel Carter, that we are doing everything we can to get General O'Neill back, and you will both be free to depart as soon as you can, I completely understand that you would wish to."

"What am I supposed to do in the mean time?" Sam asked finally, dropping all pretence at politeness.

"I would advise you to go to your quarters and say nothing of what we have discussed here. I do not want to put you in danger. I will contact you as soon as I have any information concerning General O'Neill."

Sam stood, her face a careful mask controlling her anger.

"Once again, Colonel Carter, I am sincerely sorry that we have involved you in our issues."

Sam nodded and left the office, heading for her quarters.

When she got back to her quarters it was to find them empty, Daniel and Teal'c had still not returned.

Sam sank down on one of the couches.

The strange thing was that she believed the Leader. She knew Jack wouldn't have gone anywhere without letting her know. And the Leader's explanation fit the facts. Occam's razor, the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. She was having trouble believing that Jack had been hoodwinked, but it had happened before. With horrible consequences. She shuddered inwardly, remembering the ordeal with the Eurondans four years ago.

Nevertheless, the Leader's explanation fit. Save for the fact that she could not bring herself to believe that Jack would leave without a word to her. Thinking it over, it seemed to Sam that it was infinitely more likely that Jack _had _been kidnapped by the revolutionaries.

Suddenly noticing that she was extremely tired, Sam went into her quarters to lie down and await word from the Leader.

Daniel and Teal'c looked around the garden that housed the fountain of Jharaak.

"Why have you brought us here?" Teal'c enquired sternly.

"One moment," Kihrana said. The pressed a small button on the necklace she wore and she, Daniel and Teal'c were surrounded by brilliant white light.

A moment later they found themselves standing on the deck of a ship.

"What just happened?" Daniel asked.

Before anyone could answer the room was again bathed in light and Thor appeared. "Dr Jackson, Teal'c," the small alien greeted.

"Thor, what's going on?" Daniel asked.

"Kihrana contacted me shortly after it was discovered that O'Neill had disappeared. She told me what had happened and explained everything about the political state of affairs among the Furlings. I am sorry, I should have carried out more exhaustive research into the situation before I allowed O'Neill and Colonel Carter to visit the Furlings."

Daniel looked perplexed.

"Perhaps someone would care to tell DanielJackson and I what the situation is with the Furlings." Teal'c said his neutral tone barely covering his anger.

Kihrana stepped forwards. "My father is a tyrant." She said bluntly.

"Oh," was all Daniel could think of to say.

"He uses the environment to control us. There is nowhere we can go that is not part of the environment. There is nowhere we can be where he cannot see us. We are under constant surveillance to prevent insurgence."

"Is the power station a part of the environment also?" Teal'c asked.

"No," Kihrana admitted, "It's the one weak spot in my father's empire. That is why none of us are allowed there without supervision. The little tour my father allowed for you and Colonel Carter was heavily supervised. Had one of you strayed I have no doubt that you would have been imprisoned or killed."

"And just which of those happened to Jack?" Daniel asked.

"My father has General O'Neill imprisoned." Kihrana answered. "I am so sorry for this. We are not by nature a hostile people. My father's mind is… warped."

"Where is Jack imprisoned?" Daniel demanded.

"At the base of the power station. That is where my father has all his prisoners. He took General O'Neill because he was hoping that would stop the assault on the power station."

"What assault?" Daniel asked.

"I belong to the resistance." Kihrana said, "They have decided that the time for passivity is over and we must take my father down by force, even at the cost of the lives of the Furlings my father has taken prisoner. They plan to attack the power station in twenty hours time."

"But that'll kill Jack!" Daniel exclaimed.

"They see it as worth the sacrifice. You have to understand, Dr Jackson, my father is poisoning our people. He puts something in the food that controls us. One of our members devised a counter-agent, but we cannot match the levels of it that my father forces the populace to consume. The only way we can return to normal is to stop the production of the poison and to destroy the environment it works in conjunction with. They only way to do _that _is to destroy the power station."

"If you believe that, why are you telling us this? You know we'll try to save Jack and probably get your little assault blown out of the water." Daniel said, angrily.

"I want you to rescue him!" Kihrana exclaimed. "I want you to rescue all of them. We can find another way, I'm sure we can. I need you to rescue them, he has my mother and my partner down there!"

'_Ah,'_ Daniel thought.

"We will need Colonel Carter." Thor said, speaking for the first time in many long minutes.

Daniel nodded. "Can you beam her up?" He asked Kihrana.

Sam woke to the sound of the door chime. She checked her watch and realised she had been asleep for close to half an hour.

She made her way through the quarters to the door and opened it, surprised to see the leader himself outside.

"Samantha, may I come in?"

Sam stood back, nodding. The leader walked into her quarters, leaving his entourage outside.

"Do you have some news for me, Kihrann?" Sam asked, taking her cue about the name from the Leader.

He nodded gravely. "I am afraid I have to report treachery within my own household." He said, "My daughter Kihrana, has defected. She is a revolutionary. It was she who lured O'Neill."

At his look of distress, Sam found herself feeling genuinely sorry for the Leader and said so; he accepted her condolences and excused himself.

"I promise to find O'Neill, Samantha, you have my word on it." He said, and left.

Sam stood where he left her, but before she could undertake any real thinking, she was engulfed in a beam of brilliant light.


	12. Discovery

Discovery

Sam stared at her new surroundings. Spotting faces she knew and trusted, she asked, "Daniel? Teal'c? What's going on?"

"We've got a lot to tell you, Sam," Daniel said.

But Sam had spotted Kihrana. "Where is he?" She demanded.

"Colonel?" Kihrana asked.

"Where is General O'Neill? Your father told me all about you and your revolution." Sam snapped, angry.

Puzzled at his friend's out of character behaviour, Daniel looked to Kihrana for help.

"She is under the influence of the drug," Kihrana said. She stepped forwards, pulling a thin strip of material out of her bag. "Colonel, if you will just take this-" but Sam stepped back, her body language making it clear that she would defend herself against Kihrana if she had to.

"Dr Jackson?" Kihrana asked, holding out the patch. However, it was Teal'c that stepped forwards and took it from her.

"ColonelCarter, do you trust me?" He asked softly.

"They have Jack." Sam said adamantly.

"They do not." Teal'c countered. "Trust me." He reached out and slapped the patch on her arm.

The change was instantaneous.

"He drugged me?" Sam asked.

"He drugs everyone in the city," Daniel told her, "Teal'c and I were lucky we didn't eat anything while we were there. The drug works in conjunction with the environment to pacify the population. The resistance found the antidote."

"Where is Jack?" Sam asked.

"The Leader has him imprisoned." Teal'c said.

"He told me you indoctrinated him," Sam said to Kihrana.

Kihrana nodded. "My father does not know about our antidote. He believes that you will believe what he told you forever."

"Like hypnotism." Sam said.

Kihrana paused for a moment, as though she were trying to work out what hypnotism was, then said, "Yes."

"How do we get him back?" Sam asked.

"You see, that's the problem." Daniel said. "Tell her, Kihrana."

Jack woke up. He wasn't in his quarters. A glance around his new surroundings told him he was in a cell. A very pretty cell, but a cell nonetheless. Jack had been in enough of them over the years to recognise the signs. He looked down at himself. Furling clothes, no bracelet-thingy.

He got up and walked around the cell, looking at all the walls and paying particular attention to the door.

After he had exhausted the hiking opportunities afforded him by a ten by ten cell he sat down. He wasn't really worried about the cell. The oddest thing about it was that it didn't have any bars to shout through. It was just brown and cream room with a door in one corner. The thing that was preying on Jack's mind was that Sam wasn't here. That could be a good thing or a bad thing, he considered. Either the Leader had deemed that he, Jack, was the only threat from the Tau'ri, or they had secreted her away someplace else.

Desperately trying not to dwell on that thought, Jack wondered when the Furlings would be coming to see him. They must know he was awake, after all.

Right on cue the door slid aside. Four sturdy-looking Furlings entered, pulling behind them a large table with restraints dangling free from it.

'_Here we go…' _Jack thought.

"So you're telling me that they have General O'Neill underneath the power station, which is a major strategic point in your rebellion? And now the leaders of said rebellion plan to blow it up, regardless of the fact that your father is keeping prisoners there?" Sam was furious.

"Yes," Kihrana said meekly. "My father believed that the leaders of the rebellion would stay the attack on the power station if they learned that General O'Neill was imprisoned there. Unfortunately the fact that he is merely a strategic prisoner will not stop my father… questioning the General."

"_Questioning _him?" Sam and Daniel asked at the same time.

Kihrana looked distinctly uncomfortable. "My father - forward thinking though he pretends to be – has quite archaic methods of questioning."

"He's going to torture Jack?" Daniel asked, anger rising to the fore.

"That is why we have to hurry. I don't want this to happen any more than you do. I want to help save him."

"I think we've had enough of your help," Sam snapped.

"Sam," Daniel said gently.

"What Daniel?"

"We do need her help."

"She is partially responsible for this, Daniel. You realise that? "

"These people need our help, Sam." Daniel said softly.

Sam looked as though she were about to reply but stopped herself. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "Fine," she said, reopening her eyes. "Do we have some sort of plan?"

"We were hoping you could furnish us with one."

Sam turned at the sound of Thor's voice. The little grey alien was standing behind her at a console.

"Of course you were." She said dryly, forcibly reminding Daniel of Jack.

"Allow me to show you the plans of the power station," Thor said.

It was an hour later.

Daniel pulled Sam to one side. "Sam, are you sure about this?"

Sam nodded. She was gearing up with only knives, the Furling defences would disable any kind of firearm, but apparently did not consider knives and blunt instruments a threat. "We have to get everyone out of there before the resistance blow the place up, Daniel," she said matter-of-factly.

"Well, yeah… but-" Daniel broke off; he didn't need to finish the sentence for Sam to understand his sentiments.

Sam smiled at him softly.

"ColonelCarter, I believe you should allow us to accompany you." Teal'c rumbled.

Sam shook her head. "You heard Kihrana. One of us should go undetected, at least for a while. A group of us would be picked up immediately."

Daniel was about to suggest that either he or Teal'c go, but a look from the Jaffa quelled that suicidal thought.

Sam looked over at Kihrana and Thor. "I'm ready."

Kihrana nodded and beckoned Sam over to the console.

"You know where you are going, Colonel?" She asked as Sam, Daniel and Teal'c reached her.

Sam nodded.

"We can only find one gap in the defences. You must rendezvous with us at exactly the same point you arrive at," Kihrana said.

"Kihrana – I know this," Sam said somewhat impatiently.

Kihrana opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a chiming sound coming from the console. Her eyes widened. "That's a communication coming through! They must not see you!"

"Then don't open a visual channel," Sam said, surprised at the young Furling's panic.

Kihrana nodded and pressed several keys in quick succession.

"Kihrana here."

"Kihrana, it is Jharel," The Furling voice coming from the console sounded rough, but not much older than Kihrana herself. "Why is there no visual?"

"There's a problem with my visual feed. I mentioned it previously." Kihrana said. Sam was impressed at the bite of impatience in her voice.

There was a slight hesitation, then, "Our plans have changed. We will strike in one hour and thirty minutes. Make sure you are in position by that time."

"May I ask why?" Kihrana said, somehow managing to keep the panic out of her voice.

"We have reason to believe that the Leader has some idea of our previous plans. Be at the rendezvous point in time, Kihrana."

The communication finished.

" An hour and a half?" Daniel exclaimed.

"I can still do it." Sam said. "Send me down."

"Sam…" Daniel said.

"Thor, Kihrana?" Sam said, ignoring him.

Thor nodded and Sam was engulfed in brilliant light again.

"An hour and a half," Daniel muttered, shaking his head.


	13. Leaving People Behind

Jack opened his eyes. He was still in the cell. The Furlings who brought the table – _and the pain_, he thought wryly – had gone, leaving him strapped to the table.

"General, you are awake."

Jack ground his teeth, both against the pain and the leader's voice. "Yeah, I'm awake."

"How do you feel? I see my assistants left not a mark on you."

"Never felt better." Jack said.

"I am glad to hear it. Tell me what my daughter told you about the resistance."

Jack considered playing dumb, but decided he couldn't be bothered. "No."

"No?" The Leader repeated incredulously. "I don't think you appreciate the gravity of your situation, General."

"Is there a book?" Jack wondered aloud.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Just wonderin' if you guys had a bad guy manual."

"You will not tell me what Kihrana told you?" The Leader said, obviously deciding that what ever Jack was saying was off-topic.

"Don't think so, no," Jack said.

"Why not?"

"'Cause I don't like you," Jack replied.

"You are indeed fortunate that my assistants left no marks on you. However, you will not be so fortunate this time."

The Leader moved into Jack's line of vision. Jack had just managed to get his hands free, but decided to wait and see what the Leader would do.

The Leader moved quickly, there was a strange, leathery sound then he thrust his fist into Jack's stomach. At first Jack thought he'd just been punched, but when the Leader withdrew his hand, Jack felt the unmistakeable sensation of blades retreating from his insides.

'_Claws,'_ Jack thought distantly.

For fear that the Leader would do it again, Jack remained completely still.

The Leader looked intently into Jack's eyes for a moment, then left the cell, leaving Jack bleeding heavily on the table.

Sam appeared in what was seemed to be some sort of storage room. She listened at the door before opening it slightly to peer out into the hallway. Finding it empty she left the cupboard and walked down the corridor, consulting the tiny map in her hand.

Her progress was inhibited by the fact that she couldn't read Furling, the map had been translated, but the signs on the walls were in Furling, and impossible for her to decipher. She just had to hope she was going the right way.

Ten minutes later, Sam judged she was on the level just above where the map told her the cellblock was. In her peripheral vision, Sam saw something move. She ducked into a doorway, where she would be concealed if they passed.

Sam heard footsteps coming towards her hiding place. She breathed shallowly, trying to minimise both movement and sound.

The footsteps stopped right outside her hiding place. "Carter?"

Sam let out her breath all at once. "Jack?"

"Yeah," he paused, "come out."

Sam stepped out of her hiding place and into the corridor.

Relief flooded her at the sight of Jack. "_He's okay."_

"You okay?" Jack asked, his eyes sweeping over her.

Sam nodded. "Kihrana and Thor beamed me up and told me everything about the Leader. Daniel and Teal'c are here."

Jack looked interested in this last piece of information. "Thor bring 'em?"

Sam nodded again, regarding Jack suspiciously. Under his ever-present tan he was pale, and his features were strained. He was also keeping the left side of his body slightly turned away from her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin'," Jack said defensively. Too defensively.

"Let me see," Sam insisted.

Jack hesitated for a moment, then sighed and turned to face her properly.

Sam gasped. There was a large patch of dark blood on Jack's side, making his top stick to his skin. She reached for the hem of his shirt and lifted it to see the wound, making Jack wince as she unstuck it from his skin.

"Sorry," Sam murmured. There were four gaping holes in Jack's side. "What the hell did they do to you?" Sam asked softly, tearing off part of her own top and holding it to the wounds. The cream material was soon red with his blood.

"Claws," Jack said, his voice low with pain.

"Jesus,"

Jack pulled his shirt down over his side again, holding the makeshift bandage to his side under the shirt. "Not that I'm not glad as hell to see you, Sam, but what the hell are you doing here?"

"Never mind that, we should get you back to the ship, you need medical attention," Sam said, turning back the way she'd come.

"Sam?"

Sam turned back to him. "I came down here to get you. Now lets go."

"Carter."

Sam sighed. "Kihrana's rebellion are about to nuke this place. They don't know I'm here. Kihrana sent me down to get you and the other prisoners out. But if you don't get medical attention soon…"

"They can't blow this place. The shields will just bounce the blast straight back up to the ship." Jack said.

"How do you know that?"

"It says so in there." Jack hooked a thumb over his shoulder to a door that was standing open. From what Sam could see of the interior it looked like an office.

Something occurred to Sam. "Since when can you read Furling, Jack?"

Jack shrugged. "If we switch off one of the generators, that should shut off the shield. How long do we have before they fire?"

Sam checked her watch. "An hour."

"Lets go and get the other prisoners."

"No, we have to get you back to the ship."

"That was an order, Carter." Jack said softly.

Sam stared at him. Then Jack turned and walked back the way he had come. Sam followed.

On the lower level they found a control room. Sam stared at the console in horror. It was all in Furling.

"Sam?" Jack asked, looking from her to the console.

"Don't look at me," she said, "you're the one that can read Furling."

Jack nodded and they swapped places, he looking down at the console and she at the door, scoping the corridor outside.

Jack considered the console for a moment and then said, "Sam, I don't understand this."

"What?" she asked, glancing at him over her shoulder.

"I can't read it."

"You read the paperwork in the office." She pointed out.

"Well its not workin' now."

"How did you do it in the office?'

"It just… happened."

"How did you get out of your cell?" She asked.

"The door didn't shut properly after Kihrann left. I was lucky."

Sam thought for a moment. "Try to focus your mind on reading it."

"I am," Jack protested.

"Focus harder." She paused. "I think your ability to read Furling is linked to the ancient download in some way. It's the only explanation I can think of. You can do it again. Just focus."

Jack wanted to say that it was kinda hard to focus when your side felt like it was on fire, but thought better of it. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he opened them again. "Its this row, here," he said, pointing to a bank of switches.

"You're sure?"

"Pretty sure. I'm goin' for it." He flicked all the switches.

In the corridor all the cell doors swung open.

"That was it," Sam said.

They walked out into the corridor. It was empty. None of the prisoners had exited their cells.

"Come on out people!" Jack yelled.

After a moment one prisoner exited their cell. It was a female Furling, older than Kihrana, who she also resembled quite obviously.

"You must be Kihrana's mother." Sam said.

The Furling growled at her. Sam stepped back.

Jack glanced at her. "What's wrong?"

"I can't understand her. Kihrana couldn't give me a bracelet for the power station."

"She said she is Kihrana's mother." Jack told her.

"So now you understand Furling as well as read it?"

"Hey, I'm as freaked as you are about it." Jack said, spreading his hands defensively.

Kihrana's mother growled again.

"I'm General Jack O'Neill, this is Colonel Samantha Carter. We're from Earth. From the Tau'ri."

Kihrana's mother nodded and growled again, louder this time. The occupants of the other cells exited, looking fearful.

"Looks like we're the only ones that didn't get bracelets," Jack said. Every single one of the Furlings was wearing a translator bracelet on their wrist. "They must all be from other cities."

Sam nodded.

"Where do they have to go, Sam?" Jack asked. "Where's the rendezvous?"

"Aren't we going to do something about the shields first?"

"We are," Jack said, "I don't think there's any need to bring everyone along. They can wait at the rendezvous. This place is practically empty anyway."

Sam nodded and told the Furling prisoners about the rendezvous.

Kihrana's mother nodded and gave an interrogative growl.

"How long, Sam?" Jack asked.

Sam checked her watch. "Forty minutes. There isn't enough time."

"There is. These guys can take the elevator and the short route. They can read Furling." Jack pointed out.

Sam and Jack were nearing the generator room when an automated announcement came over the PA.

"What was that?" Sam asked.

"It was a call for all personnel to evacuate immediately. They must know about the attack." Jack's voice was strained and weak. He was slower than he normally would have been too. Sam wished he would have listened to her and gone back to the ship.

There was a chiming sound.

"What's that noise?" Sam asked, looking around for the source of the sound.

"Proximity alarm," Jack said, reading one of the tactical displays mounted on the wall. "Several ships. Must be the rebellion."

Sam checked her watch. "They're early! They must have decided to take the base out now! We have to get out of here." She turned to head towards the rendezvous point, but stopped when she realised Jack wasn't moving.

"I can't come with you."

"But I came here to save you. Dammit, Jack, you're not giving up on me now."

"I'm not giving up." He insisted. "Because they set off the proximity alarm, the base's defence array has been activated. Both generators need to be deactivated or they'll just blow themselves up. Shutting down the first generator will weaken the shield enough to let you through."

"How do you know that?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"Says so right there." Jack said, hooking a thumb over his shoulder at the tactical display.

Sam stared at it. "I can't read Furling!" She snapped.

"Then you're just gonna have to trust me, aren't you?" Jack paused. "If we both go, who's gonna shut down the second generator?"

Sam was silent.

"Exactly."

"I'll stay."

"_No_, Carter. You have to let them know that I need more time to shut off the generator; you need to tell them about the new shields. You have to finish this war."

"Carter?" Sam repeated hollowly.

"Please, Sam, don't make this harder than it already is."

"I can't just leave you here. Without medical attention…" She trailed off, seeing the look of stoic determination in his eyes.

Jack nodded. "I know. I'll survive long enough to shut down that generator."

"But we wont have time to come and get you after you shut down the generator, not if the Leader already knows we're here."

"Sam, I'm dead already. Look at me."

She did as ordered. He was right. There was no way he'd last longer than an hour – two at most – without some sort of treatment.

His plan made sense.

His stupid, hurtful, arrogant plan.

"Who's to say you'll survive long enough to shut down the generator?" She asked, feeling herself recoil inwardly as she heard the words leave her mouth.

"I'll make it. I've done harder things with less of a reason to."

'_Me. He's talking about me. If he doesn't shut down that array I'll die here too.' _Sam thought. She held Jack's eyes for a long, drawn-out moment, trying to say everything she felt she should have said by now in those precious few seconds.

"What happened to not leaving our people behind?" She tried, scraping the bottom of the barrel.

"You have to leave me behind."

"I don't think I know how." Sam said quietly.

"Learn." Jack said, just as softly. "Go, Sam. Get outta here." He turned to head in the other direction down the corridor.

Sam reached out and grabbed his uninjured shoulder, pulling him around to face her.

"Sam," he began, his tone admonitory.

She grabbed his head and kissed him, taking care to keep her body away from his so as to avoid his injuries.

Jack moaned and pulled her against himself, ignoring the pain it must have caused him.

When they broke away, Jack stared at her face for a minute, a drowning man looking at water just out of reach, then turned on his heel and disappeared down the dark corridor.

Sam stared after him for a moment, unable to move.

Then she shook herself awake and looked down at her clothes.

Her cream outfit was covered in blood. Jack's blood.

"I hope you're as stubborn about this as everything else." She said softly.

Then she turned and began to jog down the corridor in the opposite direction to Jack.

Jack stumbled into the room containing the first generator. The guards outside had been relatively easy to subdue, but it had cost him a lot of momentum.

He leaned against the wall, trying to regain some composure, then headed over to the main control console.

The console was covered with keys, as he had known it would be. Jack stared at them for a moment. The symbols were incomprehensible.

All he had to do was create a slight imbalance within the generator. Something like that.

But the keys were making no more sense now than they had before.

Jack shut his eyes. He could read Furling. He'd been doing it unconsciously the whole time he'd been here. All he had to do was concentrate on what he wanted to do.

Suddenly his mind jumped. He could see the keys he had to press, knew exactly what they'd do.

Jack's eyes snapped open and he hit the keys, in the sequence he'd… remembered.

'_This is weird.'_

The little light at the top of the console began to flash red.

"Red for danger." Jack muttered. "No originality anywhere."

He turned and staggered out of the room, knowing he had only five minutes before the generator destabilised completely and exploded.

He was roughly half way to the second generator when the first went off.

The base's structure controlled the explosion, making sure it didn't destroy the entire installation. The slight tremor this sent through the base was enough to mean he had to lean on the wall for a moment.

He grimaced as pain shot through him, blinked to clear the blackness that threatened to take over his vision.

He needed to prove Sam wrong. He needed to stay alive long enough to finish this.

As soon as the first generator blew Sam's radio crackled.

"Sam? You there?"

"Yes, Daniel. And I have the other prisoners. Beam us up."

She heard the base alarm began to sound. Genteel, refined. Like everything else here.

'_Aesthetic war'_, Sam thought bitterly, as the bright light of the transporter beam surrounded her.

Then she was standing on the deck of the Furling vessel she couldn't remember the name of right now, surrounded by Furlings.

Daniel, Teal'c and Kihrana were standing metres from her, slightly blocked from her vision by all the other Furlings.

"Mother!" Kihrana cried and ran forwards into her mother's arms. Another Furling Sam recognised as Lihbrahn approached the mother and daughter and joined in the hug. Slowly the Furling prisoners dispersed enough for Daniel and Teal'c to get a good look at Sam.

"Oh my god, Sam!" Daniel exclaimed, galvanising suddenly and sprinting to her side. "Where are you hurt? Kihrana get a medkit!"

Sam stared at Daniel. '_Mild mannered archaeologist in giving orders shocker._ '

"Sam? Sam? I need you to tell me where it hurts." Daniel said urgently.

"What are you talking about, Daniel?" Sam asked, trying to get out of his grip.

He stared at her, struck dumb.

"You are bleeding, ColonelCarter." Teal'c informed her matter-of-factly.

"No I'm not." Sam argued.

Daniel gestured helplessly at her clothes.

Sam remembered. "It's not my blood. It's his." Sam said quietly. "Excuse me." She pushed past Daniel and Teal'c to where Kihrana stood with the medkit, vaguely aware that neither of them moved.

"O'Neill is dead?" Kihrana asked.

"Not yet." Sam replied.

"What do you mean, not yet?" Daniel demanded.

"He was alive when I left him." Sam replied, in no mood to speak about this with anyone, even Daniel.

"You left him?"

"Yes. I left him there. I got in, undetected, found him, broke them out," she nodded towards the Furlings, "and left him there. Somewhere along the way he got fatally wounded. Got it, Daniel?"

Daniel stared at her, muted by her attitude as much as by what she was telling him.

"I do not understand why you left O'Neill at the base." Teal'c said, without rancour.

"Because he told me to." Sam said.

"Bullshit." Daniel said.

"Dr Jackson." Kihrana admonished, her translator obviously being accurate in its translation of what Daniel had said.

The archaeologist ignored her.

"That's bullshit, Sam, and you know it. You wouldn't leave Jack behind just because he told you to. What is he doing?"

"Shutting down the generators," Sam said. She turned to Kihrana. "We have to tell your rebel friends not to fire until the shield goes down."

"What shield?" Kihrana asked.

Sam explained. Then said, "Tell them. Thor?"

"Colonel Carter?"

"I need you to use the sensors on the _Daniel Jackson_ to monitor that shield."

"I will need to make some adjustments first." The Asgard said.

Sam nodded. "You go do that. I'll talk to the Furlings with Kihrana. Then we can go home."

"How are we gonna pick Jack up?" Daniel asked, his tone indicating that he had a good idea about what her answer would be.

"We don't. Without medical attention, he'll probably be dead before the second generator makes critical mass."


	14. Choices

"It is agreed, then?" Kihrana asked, "We will wait until the shields go down and the array is disabled?" 

Jharel nodded. "I am still unhappy that you kept things from us, Kihrana," he said, nodding towards Sam, Daniel and Teal'c.

"That is of no consequence now." Kihrana said. Jharel looked surprised – insofar as Sam could tell, anyway – but nodded again.

"I expect you had your reasons." He smiled. "We await your word, Kihrana."

The screen went blank. Kihrana seemed to sag slightly, as though her little chat with the others had been an effort. Lihbrahn walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. The gesture made Sam miss Jack, and she turned and walked away, sitting down on the other side of the bridge.

Daniel and Teal'c noted her movement and by unspoken agreement Daniel followed her.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?" Sam didn't look up from the pocket computer Thor had given her.

Daniel suddenly couldn't bring himself to ask if she was okay again. Instead he said, "What's that?"

"Thor gave it to me to monitor the power station."

"To check on the shield and the array?" Daniel asked, sitting next to her.

Sam hesitated, then said, "No," very quietly.

"Then what- ah. Its to monitor Jack, isn't it?"

Sam nodded. "Even with Asgard technology, his vitals are faint.'

Daniel looked over her shoulder. The screen had a perfect tiny map of the installation. There was a dot blinking in one room. Every few blinks the dot would disappear and the word 'recalibrating' would flash on the screen. After a second or two the dot would reappear.

"That's Jack." Daniel said.

"He's in the second generator room now."

"Colonel Carter, Dr Jackson!" Kihrana's voice sounded urgent.

Daniel and Sam stood, Sam stowing the computer in her pocket. When they came out of the alcove, they were met by Thor's face on the comm. screens.

"The shields have dropped. Moreover, I believe we have time to save O'Neill. The lack of either shields or array will not display on Furling technology for a further fifteen minutes." The Asgard said.

"Uh, Thor, are you sure about that?" Daniel asked.

"I am indeed, Dr Jackson."

"Then we must endeavour to rescue O'Neill." Teal'c said, adding, "And quickly."

Daniel opened his mouth to agree when Thor's face disappeared to be replaced by the Leader's.

"I am contacting you to warn you. I am aware of your attack. And I am prepared. I know that you have shut down my generators, but they will start back up again in approximately seven minutes." The Leader turned his head slightly, until he was looking directly at Sam. "You will have to decide, Colonel. Whether to save their rebellion, or to save _Jack_."

Kihrana's mother stepped forwards. "Kihrann, I implore you to stop this! Let the Tau'ri go."

Kihrann gave her a look of deep regret and said, "I cannot." He turned back to SG-1. "You have five minutes to act, then it will be too late."

The Leader's face disappeared, to be replaced by Thor's once more.

"Thor…" Daniel began.

"I also received the transmission, Dr Jackson. The Leader must have tapped into my ship's system and used my scanners. I am securing the computer once more."

"We have to save Jack," Daniel said.

Teal'c nodded sagely. "Indeed."

"We cannot, we do not have time." Kihrana said, dismayed.

"I'm going down there." Sam said. "Thor?"

"I will transport you all down, SG-1." Thor said gravely.

"If you are not back within five minutes-" Kihrana began.

"We know." Daniel interrupted.

"Then why go? This is a suicide mission."

Sam and Daniel exchanged a look, but it was Teal'c who answered her. "We do not leave our people behind."

In a beam of brilliant light, SG-1 were gone.

Kihrana turned imploringly to the Asgard on the screen. "How can you let them do this? It is suicide!"

Thor gave the Asgard approximation of a shrug and said calmly, "O'Neill is a great personal friend of mine. Also, SG-1 have survived for nine years in this way, most often against great adversity. I do not intend even to try to stop them now."

SG-1 arrived in a corridor in the facility. There were only emergency lights on, making the place seem even emptier.

Sam pulled the tiny computer out of her pocket. There were now three more, much stronger, dots present. "We're two corridors away from where he-" She broke off.

"Sam? What is it?" Daniel asked, but Sam had already started running. "He's disappeared!" She yelled back over her shoulder. Daniel and Teal'c ran after her.

Sam seemed to have reserves of speed that she hadn't tapped before. Daniel and Teal'c didn't catch up with her until she turned into the generator room.

They found her kneeling on the floor, next to Jack's body, taking his pulse.

"He's alive," she said, not looking up.

Daniel moved to one side and raised the radio to his lips.

There was a chiming sound from one of the nearby consoles.

"What is that sound?" Teal'c asked.

"Its an alarm. Looks like the rebels have fired." Sam said, looking at one of the tactical screens.

"I can't get Thor on the radio." Daniel said, panic making him raise his voice.

"Daniel?" Jack's voice was weak, but clearly there.

"Here, Jack," Daniel responded. He and Teal'c knelt down beside Sam and Jack.

"I am here also, O'Neil," Teal'c said softly.

"I'm not talkin' to you, Carter." Jack said.

Sam snorted her amusement. "At least I won't have to put up with the silent treatment for much longer, Jack. The rebels have fired on the base."

"Idiots. We're all gonna die here y'know." Jack muttered.

"We made our choice," Sam said.

"Idiots," Jack muttered again. The chimes increased in pitch and volume. "I think that one hit home," Jack said, then lost consciousness again.

"Why aren't we dead?" Daniel yelled over the rocking of the installation's infrastructure.

"It'll take a minute or so for the chain reaction to kick in. Their weaponry isn't that advanced," Sam said, not taking her eyes from Jack's face.

"Oh," Daniel said, "good to know."

There was a flash of brilliant white light and the power station collapsed.

Kihrana stared at her screen. "It is done," she said. She pressed a button on her console and Jharel's face appeared on her screen. "Release the antidote into the atmosphere. The base has collapsed."

"And the Tau'ri?" Jharel asked.

"They –" Kihrana swallowed, then went on, "they chose to go to the power station, in an attempt to rescue their friend."

"Then they are dead." Jharel said sadly, bowing his head.

At that moment there was another brilliant flash of light, but this one did not emanate from the screen.

"I would not say that they were dead." Kihrana's mother said, turning her daughter gently by the shoulder.

Three people were crouched together on the deck of the ship, clustered around a fourth, who appeared to be unconscious.

"I have no pulse!" Sam yelled.

"We need a medic!" Daniel shouted.

Before anyone could move, Jack's body disappeared in a flash of light.

"Jack!" Sam and Daniel shouted in unison.

Thor appeared on the screens. "I have O'Neill."

"And?" Sam demanded.

"And he is alive. He will sleep for several hours, but he will live." Thor paused. "Well done, SG-1."

Thor disappeared, presumably to minister to Jack.

"You should all get some rest," Kihrana said. It will be some time before we can safely return to the city."

Sam, Daniel and Teal'c followed the Furling she assigned to show them to some quarters.

Before Sam walked into her room, Teal'c laid a hand on her arm. She looked from his face to Daniel's.

"You okay, Sam?" Daniel asked, anxiety present in every line of his face. "Do you need us to-" he nodded towards her room.

"I'm okay, Daniel." Sam said, smiling weakly. Then she turned and entered the room.

After closing the door behind her Sam walked over to the bunk and stood next to it. After a moment she let out a sob and felt her knees give out beneath her. As she fell she held onto the bunk and pulled herself up onto it. Giving herself over completely to the soul-wracking sobs that were quite unlike her.

Outside her room Daniel put his hand to the door. Teal'c stopped him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "We must leave her alone, DanielJackson. She will not thank us for our intrusion."

Daniel looked as though he were about to disagree for a moment, then nodded.

Sam awoke. There was someone in her room. Sam didn't give any indication of her change in state, she just lay on the bunk facing the wall and listening intently.

"Hey, you're awake."

Sam turned on the bed. Jack was sitting on the floor against the wall with his legs stretched out in front of him. Sam was forcibly reminded of her hallucination of him aboard the _Prometheus_, he had the same air about him now.

"You okay?" Sam asked, swinging her legs over the edge of the bunk and sitting up.

Jack tilted his head to one side and said, "I'm alive. Hurts like hell, though."

Sam smiled weakly. Jack stood and yawned. Then he looked back down at Sam.

"You look exhausted," Sam remarked.

"I just slept for three hours," Jack replied.

"You were unconscious for three hours." Sam corrected. "Did they give you quarters?"

"Nobody knows I'm here." Jack cocked his head to one side and looked intently at Sam. "You've been crying."

Sam was slightly taken aback. "How do you know?"

"I always know," Jack told her, "C'mere."

Sam stood and walked into his arms. Instead of the hug she was expecting Jack tilted her head back and kissed her.

After a few breathless moments, they stopped kissing. "I-" Sam began.

"You know, I am kinda tired," Jack interrupted her. "I think its time to go to bed, Sam."

Sam smiled up at him and kissed him again.


	15. Deposing a Despot

Sam awoke, her body filled with a pleasant ache. She stretched languidly on her bunk, then noticed what was wrong. She was alone. Jack was gone.

She sat up and scanned the modest room for him. Finding it empty, she proceeded to find her clothes and put them on. Then she headed for the bridge.

Daniel and Teal'c were sitting at one side of the bridge eating breakfast. Sam sat down and joined them.

"Morning," she greeted brightly.

"Morning," Daniel replied.

"Good morning ColonelCarter," Teal'c intoned.

Sam sat down next to her friends and helped herself to Daniel's breakfast, knowing Teal'c wouldn't be willing to share. "So where's Jack?" she asked.

"Thor's still trying to heal him," Daniel said, "Apparently the venom on the leader's claws is more potent than he thought. Jack's sorta in and out of consciousness." Daniel paused and met her eyes, "He's been asking for you."

Sam struggled to keep her confusion to herself. She was sure Jack had been in her quarters last night, but if he couldn't maintain consciousness how could he have been?

"I should go see him," she said, rising.

"It'll have to wait," Daniel said.

"Why?"

"Because we are on our way to the surface to see the Leader," Daniel informed her, looking none-too-happy about the fact. "Kihrana wants us there when the revolutionaries depose her father."

"Can't say I blame her," Sam said.

Daniel shook his head. "Me either."

"So what?" Sam asked, "We do this and go home?"

Daniel nodded, "I guess, I mean we have to forge an alliance with the Furlings first, but only a rough one. We can't really have a proper allegiance until we know who our allies are."

"You make a good point, DanielJackson," Teal'c said, finished with his breakfast at last.

When the group chosen by the revolutionaries entered the great hall of the Leader's private palace Sam, Daniel and Teal'c hung back, watching the rear. The revolutionaries were woefully over-confident in Sam's opinion, and she Daniel and Teal'c had kitted themselves out in full gear before leaving the ship.

The group ahead of them consisted of Kihrana, her mother – Mharekka, Sam had learned - Lihbrahn, Jharel and three other Furlings SG-1 didn't know.

The great hall stood empty, no guards, no Leader, nobody.

"He will be in the smaller chamber it is where he always retires to," Mharekka informed them.

"Lead the way," Jharel said, respectfully.

"I don't think we should go back there," Sam said, "we'll have to bottleneck, its not safe."

Jharel turned to look at her. "We have rousted the Leader's personal guard-"

"Those you know about," Daniel cut in.

"Yes, Dr Jackson, those we know about. However we estimate that there cannot be enough of them left to pose a problem for us. Come."

Sam, Daniel and Teal'c exchanged looks at being ordered around by Jharel, but Sam shook her head, signalling that they should remain quiet.

The small group proceeded through the great hall and into a small side room. As they fanned into the room Sam was horribly aware of the onset of the unmistakable sinking feeling she always got when she had been outflanked.

"Shit," Sam muttered shutting her eyes as the Leader's – apparently secret – personal guard of twenty closed around them.

"Indeed, Colonel Carter," the Leader said, voice filling the small chamber. "Mharekka, my dear, lovely to see you," he said, stepping so close to Mharekka that the fabric of their clothes was touching.

"Kihrann let the Tau'ri go. You have no quarrel with them," Mharekka said, impressing Sam with her haughty tone and unafraid stance.

The Leader, however, was not so impressed. "They helped your rebellion. They will stay, I think." He turned away from his former wife, completely ignored his daughter and glared at SG-1. "And here we have the rest of SG-1, Dr Jackson and the Jaffa Teal'c, I presume." He turned to look at Sam, "I take it O'Neill did not survive?"

"He's fine." Sam said, glaring back.

"A pity. Where is he?"

SG-1 said nothing, just presented a united front of three perfectly matching glares.

The Leader smiled, showing his fangs.

"Kihrann, there is nothing you can do, the people are being inoculated against your drug as we speak." Mharekka said calmly. "They will follow you no longer."

"And who will they follow instead, Mharekka? Yourself, perhaps?"

"No, we – as a people – will elect our leaders from now on."

"A system employed by our friends the Tau'ri I believe. If they are not proof that the system is a complete failure, I do not know what is."

"Nevertheless, if the system fails, it will be **our** failure, and we will not be punished for speaking our minds." Jharel said, speaking for the first time.

The Leader ignored the younger furling and continued to speak to Mharekka. "In answer to your question, my dear, the drug can be modified, like any bacteria, synthesised or not. I have almost completed the modification that will render your antidote ineffectual." He paused and smiled again, "And now that I have you all here, there is no one to warn them, and no one to stop me releasing the new drug into the air systems. You cannot even get a message to your Asgard friend. No signals can penetrate this room."

"So what now? You're just going to keep us here?" Daniel demanded.

"Until the new drug has penetrated the atmosphere within the cities, yes." The Leader said, his tone quite genial now.

"You cannot do this!" Kihrana exploded.

The Leader wheeled around and slapped her across the face, turning his hand and bringing his claws into play at the last minute. The claws produced large welts across Kihrana's face and blood gushed over her chest.

Mharekka let out a small cry of alarm and went to her daughter. Kihrann made a move towards her, but she turned on him and growled, low in her throat.

Sam could tell that this was all fascinating Daniel, but she didn't mind admitting – though only to herself – that she was afraid. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for an out.

Finding none, she turned her attention back to the Furlings. The Leader had backed off from Mharekka, allowing her to press a torn strip of her dress to her daughter's face, which was bleeding profusely.

"It is rather a shame that O'Neill is not here," the Leader mused. "I would have liked to see him again, no doubt he will be dead long before I get the chance." He turned and looked directly at Sam suddenly, "The Asgard hasn't found an antidote to my claws, has he?" When Sam remained stolidly silent he went on, "He will not, in any case. Not before it is far too late for O'Neill."

"You would be wise to discontinue counting your domestic fowl before they are incubated." Teal'c said.

Sam snorted her amusement at that, and felt Daniel shaking with silent laughter beside her.

For his part the Leader looked confused, then shook his head and turned to one of his underlings. "How long until we are ready to infiltrate the air systems again?"

"Five minutes, Leader."

"Did you hear that, Mharekka, my love? In under ten minutes the balance will be restored to all the citadels, and your pathetic rebellion will be decimated."

Mharekka opened her mouth to reply, but instead of the eloquent words Sam was expecting, there came a series of growls. She turned to Daniel, "What the hell?"

The Furlings around them spun to look at her as she spoke, Lihrahn growled at her questioningly.

Daniel shook his head uncomprehendingly, but Sam had worked it out. "The bracelets! They've stopped working." She explained to Daniel and Teal'c. The end of her sentence was drowned out by a loud chiming, a variant on the power station alarm.

Sam could hear the Furlings growling loudly to one another, struggling to be heard over the alarm. She heard snatches of English. "The bracelets must be working sporadically!" She yelled to Daniel and Teal'c.

Daniel and Teal'c nodded, and moved towards her, all three of them backing into the corner of the room on unspoken agreement.

One of the Leader's underlings was shouting to him, "…hit the translating station…!... Fires in…" Sam heard, before the bracelets stopped working again and the underling's voice became a series of growls.

Suddenly all the lights went out. In the panic, Teal'c disappeared from Sam and daniel's side, reappearing with Kihrana and Mharekka in tow. Sam pushed them into the corner and stood in front of them with Daniel and Teal'c, weapons raised.

The door of the room opened, letting in very bright light, Sam heard something roll into the room and the light was gone.

"What the-" Daniel said, before being cut off by a brilliant flash of light.


	16. Q & A

Sam awoke, her body filled with a nauseating ache. "I think I'm going to be sick." She groaned to the ceiling.

"And ruin Thor's sheets?"

Sam's eyes snapped open. She was indeed aboard the _Daniel Jackson_, in the medlab. She rolled onto her side. Sitting on the bunk opposite her wearing BDU's, swinging his legs and looking for all the world as though he hadn't been on death's door less than twenty-four hours ago – was General Jack O'Neill.

"Hey," Sam greeted, her voice scratchy. '_The light must have been a stun grenade,'_ she thought.

Jack must have noticed her puzzled look because he shifted uncomfortably and said, "I owe you an apology."

"It was your stun grenade." Sam said.

He shrugged, "I couldn't think of anything else, Kihrann had some sort of force field around the room, I couldn't just beam you guys out."

"So you stunned us?" Sam asked, incredulous.

'Him. I stunned _him._ And his cronies. You guys just… happened to be there."

"Remind me not to 'happen' to be anywhere much around you," Sam said, sitting up and feeling every single muscle she possessed protest at the movement.

"Aw c'mon, Sam. You don't mean that." Jack said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"How are you?" Sam asked, ignoring him.

"Good as new," Jack said, "Mharekka found an antidote in Kihrann's bathroom."

"Really?"

"Yeah, turns out he didn't trust anyone else to store it. Evil bastard."

Sam was staring at Jack, drinking him in, her eyes flitting over his torso making sure he was whole. Realising they had been sitting in silence for long moments she glanced up at his face, meeting his eyes.

"C'mere," He said, holding his arms open for her.

She stood, ignoring further muscular protest and stepped into his arms, bringing her own arms up and crushing him to her body.

"Jack?" she asked into his t-shirt.

"Yeah?"

"This is gonna sound weird."

"What?"

"Did I see you last night? Was that real? From what Daniel said you were too sick to-"

"It was real. I sneaked off Thor's ship while he was sleepin'."

"But you were sick!" Sam admonished.

"So?"

"'So'?" Sam repeated.

"Yeah, so? If I had died and we hadn't – you know – I'm sure I would have regretted it in the afterlife." He paused, feeling some of the tension drain from her, "Plus, I don't seem to remember you complaining."

"I was so relieved you were ok I didn't think to check to see whether you'd last the night!"

"I almost didn't. You need to work out your… frustrations more, Carter."

Sam backed away from him just enough so that she could look up at him. "Its difficult," she said, her tone serious, but her eyes sparkling.

"I think I could help you, you know. I'm good at… relieving tension." He grinned deliciously at her. "Care for a demonstration?"

"Here?" Sam asked, glancing around the medlab.

"Sure. There's no one else around, they're all on the bridge talking about what they're gonna do with Kihrann." Jack replied, sliding his hands underneath her t-shirt.

Sam shivered. "But they could just come in at any time! You know what Daniel's like!"

"Daniel," Jack said, drawing her to him and lowering his mouth to her neck, "…is…" _kiss "…_busy…._" nibble_. He raised his mouth to her ear. "C'mon, Sam, where's your sense of… adventure?" His breath was hot and tickled her ear delightfully.

"I've been all over our own galaxy and a couple of others, seen, fought with and befriended numerous alien species and blown up a sun – and you think having sex in a medlab proves I have a sense of adventure?"

"A medlab on board the ship of the commander of the Asgard fleet, while said commander, Danny, T and assorted Furlings are congregated a mere floor away…" Jack murmured, flicking his tongue into her ear and making her squirm.

"What happened to taking it slow?" Sam said, almost breathless.

"Screw that."

Sam giggled and turned her head, catching his lips with her own.

"Sam? Jack?" Daniel's voice sounded from the corridor and they heard the medlab doors slide open to admit him.

"Crap," Sam groaned against Jack's lips.

"If you'd been quicker we could have really freaked him out," Jack murmured.

Sam hit him lightly on the chest and turned to face the direction that Daniel was coming from, remaining in Jack's arms.

"Sam? Ja- Oh." Daniel rounded a large piece of medical equipment and caught sight of Sam and Jack. "Sorry."

"What do you want, Daniel?" Jack growled, holding Sam in place to spare Daniel's blushes. For her part Sam squirmed back against him surreptitiously, smirking inwardly when she heard his breath catch.

"Uh… the Leader's conscious. Thor says we're going to stay here to question him with the Furlings then go home. If that's ok with you?"

"I'm all for goin' home," Jack said.

"We should talk to the leader first," Sam said.

Jack shrugged. "Fine. We'll go talk to Kihrann. I have a few things I'd like to know."

"Jack…" Daniel said warningly.

"Don't worry," Jack said raising his hands defensively, "I'm not gonna screw anything up."

Daniel looked at him suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. "Come on then. Lets get up there."

"Uh… we'll catch you up." Jack said, firmly holding Sam in place.

Daniel looked confused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Don't take too long." He turned and walked back out of the medlab.

Sam turned back to face Jack and kissed him.

"Y'know if you keep doing that I'll never be fit to go upstairs. Pass me my jacket."

When they reached the bridge they found Thor, Mharekka, Jaaaharel, Daniel and Teal'c sitting in a circle around a containment field holding Kihrann. 

"Hey, Kihrann!" Jack greeted brightly. "How ya doin'?"

"General O'Neill, it is good to see you are well,' Kihrann said mildly.

"Never better, Kihrann, never better," Jack said, walking up to the containment field and touching it, stinging his hand.

Sam took a seat next to Daniel and Teal'c and watched Jack circle the containment field.

"Is there something bothering you, General?"

"Coupla things, yeah," Jack admitted.

"Perhaps you would care to share them with us all?" Kihrann suggested.

Jack stopped walking and grinned at the deposed leader.

"I was just wonderin' –"Jack said, "Why us?"

The Leader looked politely inquisitive.

"You specifically requested me and Carter, I asked Thor. I was just wondering why?"

"Colonel Carter is touted as one of the greatest scientific minds from your planet, she has performed countless nigh-impossible tasks during her time at the SGC," Kihrann said smoothly.

"And before that," Jack said, "she made our dialling computer."

"Also," Kihrann said, inclining his head.

"And me?"

"You are O'Neill," Kihrann said.

"So?"

"You instigated the Jaffa rebellion and have also accomplished many things in your career. You have an uncanny knack for always choosing the correct side whenever you have encountered conflict."

Jack raised his eyebrows and made a 'continue' motion with his right hand.

"I can only say that you appear to have lost your touch, or at least in this case."

"I don't agree," Jack said.

"I cannot imagine that you would."

"You're kinda… dumb, huh?" Jack said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Excuse me?" Kihrann said.

Sam looked around the circle and noted that Mharekka had surreptitiously covered her mouth with the neck of her dress. From the minute shaking of the Furling's shoulders Sam guessed she must be laughing.

"Well, you brought me here, hoping I'd help you deal with the revolutionaries. Did it not occur to you that I might side with them?"

"It was a risk," Kihrann admitted, "however, there was the mitigating circumstance of my drug. I believed it would pacify you the way it pacified the good Colonel. Although I had been informed of your genetic dysfunction I did not realise it would exempt you from the effects of the drug."

"Ah," Jack said, he turned and waved a hand at Mharekka, "your witness."

Mharekka inclined her head still smiling and rose. Jack took a seat between Sam and Daniel.

"Enjoy yourself?" Daniel asked.

"Yep," Jack said, smirking. He stood and held out a hand to Sam. "Carter, care to come with me?"

"Jack?" Daniel asked, his eyebrows so high they were in danger of meeting his hairline.

"Sam and I have unfinished business, Dr Jackson." Sam stood and took Jack's hand, a slight blush infusing her cheeks. "See ya in a coupla hours." He turned and left the room, pulling Sam behind him.

Daniel looked at Teal'c. "A couple of hours?"


	17. Epilogue

* * *

Sam stretched, refusing to open her eyes until it was absolutely necessary.

"You are so sexy when you do that."

She opened her eyes, taking in Jack's bedroom, and – most importantly – an extremely tousle-haired Jack O'Neill.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi." She reached for him and her hands encountered unwelcome material. She sat up, glaring at him. Jack was wearing his dress uniform.

"Its Monday, huh?" Sam said, her tone slightly harder than it should have been.

"Yeah. Two weeks later than it shoulda been, but its eight AM Monday morning." Jack said softly.

"Eight AM?" Sam asked, staring around at the clock, "You've missed your flight! And I'm late for work!" She jumped out of bed hurriedly and stared around the room frantically, looking for some form of clothing.

"You're not working this week. You're on downtime." Jack said mildly.

"What?" Sam said distractedly.

"You. Are. On. Downtime."

"Oh." Sam said, nonplussed. "Nobody told me."

"I'm tellin' you," Jack said.

"Why do I have a week off?"

"'Cause I missed my flight."

"Huh?" Sam said, sitting back down on the bed.

"You are so hot," Jack said, staring at Sam's still naked form.

"Jack?" Sam prodded.

"I'm taking the scenic route to DC."

Sam looked questioningly at him.

"302," Jack said, smirking, "Wanna come?"

Sam smiled dazzlingly, "Later."

"Later?"

"Yeah," Sam said, "c'mere."

"Got a thing for a man in uniform have ya?" Jack said, smirking and pulling her to him.

"Not all men," she said, kissing him, "not all uniforms," more kissing, "**This** one however… this one just does things to me."

Jack grinned and kissed her deeply.


End file.
